Breeze of Change
by Purple Pirate Lex
Summary: The Bebop crew is still going strong, but what lies ahead for our heroes? New bounty heads, a new take on life, a new... Ed? This is a sequel you just can't miss! post tRFB. ::Chapter 6 has been edited!::
1. A Fresh Start

**_Finally! It's the sequel you've been waiting for! Unfortunately, I won't be posting it all at once, for I am still not done. It's a work in progress! Please stay tuned and enjoy!_**

* * *

Spike's eyes blinked open as he took in his surroundings. Sprawled out on his bed he lie awake, glancing around his room for an indication of time. _Shit,_ he thought as his eyes rested on a clock on his bare dresser reading 10:48. _Overslept again._ Opening his door and stepping into the hall, he was ambushed by the voice of Faye Valentine.

"Rise and shine, Lunkhead!" she sang as she gleefully strutted past him and down the corridor toward her room. He eyed her white bathrobe and the pastel towel wrapped around her raven hair. Scratching his abdomen through his white t-shirt, he drowsily watched Faye's damp skin glisten in the artificial light. His expression remained unchanged as he grabbed his towel and slumped off in the opposite direction.

Stepping into the bathroom, Spike threw his towel on a hook. He stood in front of the bland, rectangular mirror and pulled his shirt over his head, ignoring his bedraggled reflection. Clothes discarded on the floor next to the shower, Spike stepped inside, thinking about when he'd last seen Faye. _She's just a little too chipper this morning,_ he thought to himself. _That can only mean one thing._ He turned the knob cautiously. "Gah!" He cringed as icy water tumbled from the showerhead and attacked his exposed skin. _No more hot water._

Jet stood in the kitchen sipping a steaming cup of coffee as Edward sat on the counter swinging her spindly legs. Faye sat casually at the kitchen table, enjoying her own coffee and Ein lie comfortably beneath her chair. The quartet looked up as a slightly irritated Spike Spiegel entered the room. The collar of his pale lemon shirt sat popped around his neck as his thin navy tie dangled freely from it. "What took you so long, Spike?" Jet bellowed his vexed tone. "Don't you know we're going after a huge bounty today?" Spike grunted as he made a b-line for the coffee pot. Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, he poured. No seasonings; he liked it black. "Since we're all here now, I'll go over the information one more time," said Jet, eyeing as Spike took a seat across the table from Faye.

"Coffee?" inquired Faye with a smirk. "Didn't that nice, invigorating shower help you wake up at all?" she grinned.

"Fuck you, Faye," Spike mumbled from behind his coffee cup, less and less in the mood to talk. Faye giggled girlishly at his expense.

"You wish," she replied teasingly.

"Enough, you two!" Jet growled. "You're not exactly Miss Punctual yourself, Faye." Faye held her tongue, if only for the grain of truth in Jet's words.

"Who've we got this time?" Spike asked, calmly lighting a cigarette. All eyes were on Jet, who was leaning against the counter top, his muscular arms crossed over his chest.

"He's into the financial business. A guy named Vladimir Zahar." As he spoke, Ed placed her tomato computer on the table for Spike and Faye to see the offender. They peered at a gangly man with tanned skin and dark, stringy hair tied back and slicked, and large, dark eyes hidden behind thick prescription glasses. "This guy sneaks his way into the galactic banking systems and filters small amounts of money from random accounts into his own. That way he doesn't tip too many people off. It may have taken a while, but this guy's siphoned millions." Ed performed a wobbly handstand in the background, her singing being tuned out by the other crewmembers.

"Wow," stated Faye.

"Careful, Jet. Let's try not to give Little Miss Sunshine any ideas," cracked Spike, hooking a thumb at Faye. She sighed, narrowing her deep jade eyes.

"Been there, done that," she replied. Spike arched an eyebrow in her direction. Disregarding her remark, he refocused his attention on Jet again.

"So what's the bounty on this guy?" Spike inquired. "Sounds like a big enough offense." He took a carefree drag from his lit cigarette.

"Play our cards right and we're in for 75 million," was the bald man's reply. Faye's eyes glittered at the mention of the bounty figure. Spike turned his attention to her, not letting her reaction go unnoticed.

"Perfectly divisible by three," he said, aiming his sharp tone at the woman. Faye looked indignant. She opened her mouth to speak, but her quip was interrupted by Jet's further instruction.

"Ed's tracked down his next likely target bank." The girl appeared between the three bounty hunters at her computer again, gaining their somewhat undivided attention.

"Zahar will be at the First Galactic Bank of Neptune this time," Ed stated melodiously. "He's been hopping and stopping at each bank in the solar system in alphabetical order by planet. This makes it a ziggy zag pattern to follow. Hard to follow, hard to catch! According to records, his transactions are usually made around the hours of two and four o'clock, since most banks close at five." The child finished with a grin.

"That's weird," speculated Spike.

"Why wouldn't he make these transactions via internet?" Faye asked, picking up on Spike's suspicions.

"Online banking is so popular nowadays that most banks don't get very many customers in person at all," informed Ed merrily. "They're mostly deserted, except for the people who work there in case people do come in. The actual buildings are where all the hard copies and paperwork are stored. Going there makes it easier for him. He wouldn't be noticed by any civilians. Besides," she flashed her million-dollar smile. "He could probably do it online if he was a good hacker like Radical Edward!" Jet groaned at the redheaded child.

"Makes sense," stated Faye.

"Every transaction manually?" inquired Spike. "That sounds like too much work to me."

"Well then," answered Faye, "I guess it's a good thing you're not in the money siphoning business, isn't it?" Spike smirked.

"I could always get Ed to set it up for me," he said, roughing up the genius hacker's orange hair.

"We'll be landing on Neptune at around one o'clock," Jet informed. Spike peered onto Edward's computer screen for the time display. It was eleven fifty six. He sighed and finished off his cooling coffee, not quite cold enough yet to be disgusting.

* * *

**_The characters of Cowboy Bebop are property of Sunrise Inc, not me. No reason to sue me; I'm not really wirth it._**


	2. On the Move

The Swordfish II zoomed out of the Bebop hangar, followed closely by the Redtail. "You know where you're going, Gaucho?" Faye fuzzed through Spike's communicator. He heard the smile on her voice.

"In fact I do, Romani," he answered coolly. He looked through his windshield at the curving horizon of Neptune terrain. Just then he was distracted by Jet's rough voice.

"It's just ahead of you, Spike, to your left." Jet had been keeping tabs through the ship's tracking device.

"I see it, Jet," the cowboy answered in somewhat of a touchy tone.

"Just making sure," Jet replied. Faye's voice came through again.

"Can't admit we're lost now, can we?" she grinned. "What is it with men and asking for directions?"

"Get lost, Faye," Spike sighed, clicking off his comm. Her light chuckle was cut off. "Explain to me again why she's still with us, Jet," he asked the man on the Bebop.

"Do I really have to?" Jet replied knowingly. Spike shook his head to himself and smiled.

"I guess not," he answered.

* * *

Spike walked casually down the sidewalk heading toward the First Galactic Bank of Neptune. He and Faye had separated and landed their star ships on opposing sides of the town in an attempt to remain inconspicuous. He looked down at his shoes as he walked, uneventfully puffing on a cigarette. Just then, he heard the satisfying click of heels on pavement. He couldn't help but smile when he looked up and saw Miss Faye Valentine, her sparkling eyes hidden behind dark shades. His glance swooped over her figure, taking in her welcomed change of wardrobe. Faye's deep violet hair was pulled up into a neat bun, allowing only a few wisps freedom to frame her eyes. A black fitted blazer hugged at her curves, her face framed by a bright yellow blouse and conjoined sash tied in a droopy bow about her slender neck. A slim-fitting, black pencil skirt cut just at the knee accentuated her long legs. The black, pointy-toed heels she wore, which made her legs seem to go for miles, defined her calves.

"Wow, Faye, you look… presentable," he said, casually sliding a hand into his pocket. His cigarette rested easily between the fingers on the other hand. Faye's cherry lips curled up to the side. She knew full well what he meant.

"You don't look too shabby yourself, cowboy," she replied, removing her sunglasses. Spike watched as a stem of her glasses rested on her lip. She absorbed Spike's new threads. A business suit in a nondescript brown conformed to his shoulders. Unbuttoned, it was pinned loosely by his pocketed hand. A pale blue dress shirt, accented with a royal blue tie, was revealed. The pants had a pleated front, and were much more of a relaxed fit than she was used to seeing on his slim legs. Black leather dress shoes protruded from the hems. Faye chuckled at his hair, an obscure, olive green mop, as usual. Just then Jet's gruff voice came through on their earpieces.

"You guys done flirting?" he asked, not putting forth too much effort to hide his irritated tone.

"You done eavesdropping, Jet?" Spike quipped, cool as a cucumber. Jet coughed nervously.

"It's hard not to when you guys have microphones strapped to your heads," he grunted. "Just hurry up, will ya?"

"Right, _dad_," Faye smiled into her earpiece. She replaced her glasses over her green eyes and turned toward the building.

"Shall we?" Spike asked her, looking at the same building. Faye's side-glance at him was hidden behind black lenses.

"Let's," she smiled. Packing heat, the couple crossed the street.

Spike strolled passed the automatic doors into the bank. He snubbed his cigarette into an ashtray near the door; he didn't want to cause too much trouble yet. Waltzing up to an automated teller machine, he produced his money card, appearing random and unnoticed.

Faye had followed him at a distance, and made her way to the receptions desk, removing her shades. She quickly scanned the tellers until she found one of the opposite sex. He was mediocre-looking, most likely in his late thirties with a sandy-colored, nondescript hairstyle. Thin, rimless glasses reflected the harsh light. _Piece of cake,_ she thought, sashaying up to his window. "Excuse me, sir," she said to the man, wearing a worried and exasperated façade.

"Yes, welcome to the First Galactic Bank of Neptune, how can I help you?" he answered monotonously. He sighed an exhausted sigh and glanced up from his computer at the beautiful inquirer. As a more lively countenance sprang into his features, Faye spoke.

"Do you think I might by chance be able to use your restroom?" she asked on hurried breath. The man's eyes shifted as he seemed to become nervous.

"Well," he began, "the restrooms here are for authorized personnel only-"

"Oh, but it's an emergency!" Faye cried, lightly bobbing up and down. "I simply _must _use the restroom! I could explode! And it's that time again, if you know what I mean. An explosion at this time would hardly be a pretty sight!" Faye's voice rose in pitch, her eyes filled with urgency. She pouted her rouged lips sorrowfully. The man smiled in understanding, having recovered from the shock that usually strikes a man when hit with so much undesired detail.

"Um, just go down this hallway and make a right. It should be at the end on your left," he said, pointing to his right at a featureless opening in the wall, leading to official back ways.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Pearson!" the borderline hysterical woman breathed in haste, reading from the name placard on his desk. "Mmwah!" She planted a frantic kiss on the glass divider, leaving a translucent red lip print before she dashed off to where he'd directed her. As she ran, she could hear Spike chuckling into her ear.

"Nice performance," he said into his well-hidden mouthpiece.

"All it takes is a woman's touch," she whispered back, lightly panting after her mad dash. Spike groaned, looking for something else to do that would occupy time and keep him under the radar. He glanced up at a clock mounted on the wall. Three fifteen. He sighed, sitting down on a conveniently placed bench.

* * *

**_Zomigoodness! A bounty chase? Ooh! It gets more fun! By the way, I do not own any of these characters. Not mine. The Bebop crew belongs to Sunrise 1998 animation. _**


	3. A Small Price To Pay

"Computer busted?"

"Huh?" Spike looked up and his eyes met with a pair of thick, prescription glasses.

"It's the only reason people set foot in banks these days," the scrawny man answered.

"Hm," Spike said, standing. He had at least five inches on the guy. "Tell me more…" his eyes narrowed with assertiveness. "…Vladimir Zahar." The man stepped back, eyes widened.

"A bounty hunter? … Who's askin'?" he said, trying to regain his composure. But it was too late. He'd unveiled himself. Faye reappeared in the hallway entrance seconds after the mention of the name, her trusty Glock at hand.

"Ya know, for a 75 million wulong bounty, you're not too bright," Spike smirked, moving swiftly between Zahar and the exit. " I can't even fathom how you made it this far without being caught." Zahar's eyes narrowed.

"Bounty hunter scum!" he spat just before bolting in the opposite direction. He zipped across the wide expanse of the building's first floor.

"Faye!" Spike hissed into his microphone. "Head him off!" But she was way ahead of him.

"What's your hurry?" she asked the dark, squirrelly figure, aiming her Glock in his direction. Zahar growled as he noticed the woman was blocking him from the authorized personnel elevators. He doubted he'd be able to get past her weapon, so he zoomed off to the left. "Hey!" shouted Faye, not expecting his detour. She stared at him, unsure of where he was headed. She watched in shock as a piece of the wall swung open, revealing a hidden emergency stairwell. She sprung after him, cursing his speed.

Spike jogged over to where Faye had stood, and watched the door to the stairwell ease shut. _Women always have to do it the hard way,_ he thought as he pressed the "up" button near the elevator door. As the door slid open, he nonchalantly stepped inside.

On the stairs, Zahar dashed upwards, leaving Faye in his dust. _Shit, I hate stairs!_ She thought, leaning on the railing to catch her breath. She looked up at Zahar and her eyes widened as he punched out a fire alarm. "Damn it!" she shrieked as a deafening siren blared and echoed in the stairwell. Even worse was when she noticed doors on each landing burst open as frantic employees began scuttling downwards. Breathing hard, she pressed upward through the downstream current.

Relieved, an exhausted Zahar burst through the door at the top of the final staircase. The strong breeze on the rooftop blew through his drippy hair as he looked inside the building, watching with glee as Faye struggled against the crowds. Turning swiftly, he stopped as his forehead came in contact with the cool barrel of the Jericho. "Tag, you're it," smirked Spike, his chocolate eyes narrowing. Zahar released a cowardly whimper just before ducking Spike's eye level and elbowing the outreached arm with great force. Spike's grip on the Jericho was lost, but fluidly he followed the woodland creature's movements, forced to rely on his solid Jeet Kun Do skills. He was a great deal taken by surprise, but one would never have guessed by watching his fluidity.

The two of them danced a violent choreography across the gravel-covered roof. _This guy's good_, Spike thought as he battled the little man. Suddenly Zahar stumbled upon the discarded gun. _Shit,_ thought Spike as the bounty head strategically acquired the gun and aimed it at him mercilessly. He swiveled just as the trigger was pulled, but couldn't outrun the speeding bullet. Grimacing, he faltered as the Jericho released a shot that tore through his left shoulder, just short of point blank.

Faye reached the top just as Zahar had tossed the gun and was running toward the edge of the rooftop. "Spike!" she wailed as she witnessed him flat on his back, blood seeping through his brown jacket. She ran to his side and stood over him in shock, breathing hard.

Just then, he bolted upright, startling Faye in the process. "Shit! He's getting away!" he fumed, locking his eyes on Zahar. Faye straightened up with fire in her green eyes and ran a few paces after the perpetrator, then stopped, taking aim. Behind her, Spike scrambled to his feet and chased after his discarded Jericho. A shot rang out into the thin atmosphere, leaving Faye snarling satisfactorily as Zahar tumbled to the ground. He whined and whimpered holding his leg and writhing in pain. As a result of his usual introversion, he had never experienced excruciating pain the likes of a bullet wound.

Stepping up to the injured man, Faye kept her weapon locked on him, her eyebrows knitted. She glared at him so intensely that she didn't even notice when the Hammerhead hovered and landed, yards away from them. "Pull a sleazy stunt like that again and _see_ if you live another day," she growled at him quietly. She placed a foot on top of him, letting her sharp heel dig into his chest.

"Faye!" she heard Jet calling urgently. "Don't go too far. You want the 75million, don't you?" Faye listened, but didn't look in Jet's direction. Spike looked on with a surprised expression. He stared at Faye, shocked with her reaction, and a bit embarrassed at the fact that he hadn't taken Zahar down himself. All eyes scrunched shut as another shot sounded. Vladimir trembled, prying his eyes open. A bullet had flown into the ground inches from his head, sending gravel flying in all directions.

Faye didn't turn her gaze away from Zahar's greasy face until Jet was standing next to her. "Take it easy, Faye," he said as soft as his voice would allow. Grabbing Zahar by the collar, Jet dragged the man away. "I'll take it from here," he said. Faye stood and watched them leave. "Stop your complaining," Jet scolded as Zahar released another whimper of pain. "She usually castrates men like you." Spike shook his head in mild amusement at Jet's treatment of the captive.

Faye shuddered, releasing her remaining ounces of malice in the process. She walked back toward Spike seemingly back to normal. Applying pressure to his wound, Spike watched her walk past him and to the stairs. "Ah, the shrew's got aim," he taunted, following her.

"Spike, you dimwit!" she shouted, punching him considerably close to his fresh battle scar. As he doubled over and bellowed in pain, he looked up to see her briskly stalking away.

"What'd I do now?" he helplessly grunted. He followed at a safe distance, bewildered.

* * *

**_Aww! They got him! Woot! Wonder what happens next... ::ahem:: The characters in this work of fiction belong solely to Sunrise 1998 animation, except for Vladimir Zahar. I invented him.  
_**


	4. Pain? What Pain?

Back on the Bebop, Jet tended to Spike's injured shoulder. Zahar sat nearby, tied and constricted to within an inch of his life. Jet had supplied a tourniquet to his leg so he wouldn't bleed to death before they got him to the nearest ISSP station. "This guy got you good," Jet said calmly, examining the wound.

"Yeah, with my own gun!" Spike shouted. Disgust displayed itself on his face.

"Ain't life a bitch?" Jet stated matter-of-factly. Spike didn't respond. "Think of it this way," continued Jet. "It was a simple bag for a whopping 75 million. The guy was pretty dense. No minions, no backup, he didn't even come with weapons."

"So he stole mine!" Spike growled. Jet sighed at Spike's temper. The bounty head looked on in worry and dismay as his two captors conversed. He tried to speak, but Faye had gagged him tightly; all he could do now was muffle in discomfort. As Spike's eyes shifted to meet his, Vladimir Zahar froze. A bone chilling, deadly stare pierced his cold soul and made him shudder. "Bad things come to those who shoot a man with his own gun," Spike stated in an eerily calm tone. Zahar stared back, hoping there'd be no more pain inflicted.

Edward graced the scene, much to Zahar's relief, and broke the stare with her orange hair. "Bounty's been bad!" she alliterated, wagging a finger in his face. She playfully climbed him and glared into his eyes. Zahar seemed puzzled; he wasn't sure what to make of this strange kid. With a grin, she swiped his thick glasses and put them on her face. She flew off, giggling with delight. Ein sat and watched as Ed soared around the living space. She came in for a landing in front of the small dog. "Look, Ein!" she chirped. "Ed's eyes are all googly-moogly!" Ein yipped at the child's amusement and watched her take off again.

* * *

That evening, after Jet had taken Zahar to ISSP, and Ed had begged and pleaded to go with him until he finally relented, Spike sprawled himself across the mustard couch, bandaged up and enjoying a smoke. He was in no shape to fly with his fresh injury, but used exhaustion and lethargy as a legitimate excuse. Although he claimed he could fly home from the bank that day, Faye and Jet both insisted that he ride back in the Redtail, while Ed would use her skills to hack into the Swordfish's system and navigate her safely back home. He stared up at the sluggish ceiling fan, squinting against the harsh light that hung from it. Wanting to shield his eyes, he flinched as he shifted the wrong arm. Just then he was covered in shadow.

"How you feeling, Lunkhead?" came a calm and minimally concerned voice. Spike's eyes relaxed as Faye shielded the light with her body.

"I've felt worse," he replied, lifting his head. "What's it to you?" he asked, smiling.

"Just wondering," she exhaled, taking a seat on the coffee table. Spike sat up, looking her over. She still wore her guise from the hunt that day, sans the blazer. His eyebrow arched as he spotted the large bottle of liquor she'd brought. He noticed it was unopened just as she placed two tumblers on the table next to her. "Getting a little rusty, are we?" she asked with a smirk.

"No," Spike snapped. He took a drag from his cigarette, looking away from the pretty face. "Just isn't my lucky day, that's all." He pointed a side-glance at Faye, watching her idly fiddle with the unopened bottle of liquor. Her smirk remained.

"It is if you're referring to bad luck," she antagonized. "I mean, the guy totally disarmed you, and in more ways than one." Spike stared at the cushion between his legs, silently seething. "The great Spike Spiegel, disarmed by a squirrelly little two-bit bounty like him," she said, almost too matter-of-factly. She finished off her merriment with a chuckle, feeling Spike's angry eyes on her.

"I did a hell of a lot better than you," he growled. Faye looked at him, indignant. "What took you so long to get up there, huh? Get lost on the way up those stairs?" he imperceptibly released tension; his jab at Faye had lifted his spirits a little.

"Oh, come on, Spike," said Faye, shooting him a seductive grin. "You know I saved your ass."

"You nabbed us a bounty!" he nearly shouted. "It had nothing to do with my ass."

"All because _you_ were temporarily out of commission," she observed, her voice oozing with an evil pleasure. Spike said nothing, only turned away from her enchanting gaze. The fact that she had done an exceptionally good job that day left him slightly impressed, but he hated her tendency to gloat about it. She placed a hand on his tensed thigh, awaiting a certain reaction. A strange expression rested on his face as his blood boiled with both fury and arousal.

"You look like you could use a drink," she said, finally withdrawing her hand to unscrew the cap of the bottle in her lap.

"If anyone needs a drink around here, it's you," Spike replied. Faye stopped as her eyes zoomed up to meet his.

"Oh?" she quipped, her face remaining collected. "What makes you say that?" She refocused her attention on the bottle and glasses. Spike shook his head slowly, consciously deciding not to answer her. He waited for her to look back at him awaiting a reply. When she finally did, he reclined into the couch and lifted his cigarette to his mouth. Faye sighed, fingering her full glass.

"You sure have a lousy way of showing you care," Spike joked at long last, grazing a hand across his bandaged chest. Faye glared.

"The next time you get shot like that, at least _pretend_ to be dying for a few seconds!" she clamored, taking a gulp of the liquor in her cup. "You scared the shit out of me; I hate it when you do that," she finished.

"Is that why you went stir crazy on the guy?" he asked, after a slight pause. He reached to the table and retrieved the glass designated for him. Faye said nothing, only downed another gulp. He knew her answer. Chugging down his own, Spike exhaled loudly, feeling the spicy heat trickle down his throat. He scooted up to the edge of the sofa, shrinking the gap between his body and Faye's. His long legs sat on either side of hers. He balanced his cigarette on the rim of a nearby ashtray and looked into her eyes, a faint smile forming on his lips. Faye leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist. Her other hand dangled her near empty glass between them.

Faye blinked as a glass suddenly appeared between her face and Spike's. "Top me off?" Spike smirked, giving his empty glass a shake. Faye feigned a look of scorn, raising the bottle to fill both glasses with the amber liquid. They simultaneously took a swig. As their cups descended, Spike's smile grew as he drew closer to Faye. His lips hovered mere millimeters in front of hers. "Another thing," he crooned.

"What?" Faye said, smiling in exasperation. Spike gave a silent chuckle in amusement. He loved to make her wait.

"Just why were you trying to turn me into a Spike-sickle this morning?" Faye laughed, touching her nose to his.

"I wanted a frozen treat," she said quietly; her voice deepened, oozing with lust. She ran fingers through Spike's forest dark hair and pulled him into a sultry kiss. He smiled against her lips as her laughter buzzed them. As they each placed their glasses on the coffee table, Spike lured Faye into his lap with his good arm.

* * *

At the ISSP station, Jet triumphantly collected the bounty, placing the divided amount on his, Spike's and Faye's money cards. "Ok. Ready to go, Edward?" he asked the hyper child who stood fidgeting at his side. Ed grinned up at him, wrapping her wiry body around Jet's torso.

"Edward is ready for take-off!" she laughed. Jet sighed, patting the child's orange tuft of hair, and carried her out of the building.

On the front steps of the ISSP station, Ed detached herself from the surly man. "Papa Jet-person," she said in an assertive tone.

"What is it, Ed?" Jet replied.

"Can Ed ask a question?"

"Sure, kid. Shoot."

"Why doesn't Ed get any of the bounty?" Jet's eyes widened. He looked into Ed's golden eyes, which stared back into his pale grey ones. The question took him by surprise.

"Well Edward," he said, "we never really thought you were interested in the money." Ed smiled.

"Ah, but Ed is!" she said, her eyes glittering. Jet smiled warmly at the girl, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I see no problem with giving you your fair share," Jet replied. "You sure do enough to help us out. Without you, we'd have a much lower success rate. We never would have even tracked down this guy."

"Heehee!" Ed beamed.

"I'll tell you what," Jet proposed. "When we get back to the Bebop we'll talk to the rest of the gang, see how they feel about it. Then tomorrow we'll come back and get you your very own money card." He watched as Edward's face lit up with joy. "How's that sound?"

"Edward would be much obliged!" she said, holding out her hand. Jet's large hand consumed hers in a firm handshake. "Yay! Ha ha!" Ed rejoiced. "Edward's a _real_ cowgirl now!" she shouted as she clung to the man's side again. "Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou!" she sang in a merry tune. Jet once again maneuvered with the bouncing girl attached to his leg, but smiled to himself, glad to have made her happy. He knew that the rest of the crew, although at times one would beg to differ, would do anything for Edward.

* * *

_**Gotcha! No lemon just yet. But it's a pretty good chapter, right? I think so. Stay tuned! Oh yeah, and the characters in this fiction are property of Sunrise 1998 animation, not me. I am but a humble servant of the will of the Bebop!**_


	5. We're In The Money!

Faye sat curled on Spike's lap, her shoes discarded near his feet, with an arm wrapped delicately around him, kissing his neck. Indulging in her caress, Spike traced her thigh with his fingers. She moaned quietly, turning his head to kiss his lips. As she cupped his cheek, Spike tugged at the sash around her neck, allowing the bow to release and the satiny fabric to cascade down her chest. Just as he had unbuttoned the first button on her blouse, he heard the door to the living space slide open. "Shit," he whispered, gently gripping Faye's bottom lip between his teeth. Faye wanted to get up before Jet or Ed would spot them, but the arm wrapped around her waist kept her seated. Relenting, she smiled and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

Edward soared into the room, her arms spread like wings as she laughed gleefully. As Jet entered, he calmly trotted down the stairs and past where Spike and Faye sat canoodling. "If you guys aren't gonna get a room, you could at least do it on the floor," he gruffed, glancing shortly over his shoulder at the couple.

"C'mon, Jet," Spike grinned. "You know I'm injured."

"All the more reason for the room," Jet jested, descending into the chair across from the couple. "In my scotch, no less," he mumbled, eyeing the bottle and two glasses. Faye gave him a sweet, toothy smile as she quickly planted her feet on the floor and turned to him. She saw the two money cards in his hand.

"Ooh! Thanks, Jet!" she smiled. She reached out across the table, attempting to reach her card, but Jet pulled it just beyond her reach. Faye looked puzzled.

"Hold on there, Faye," Jet spoke, furrowing his brow. "I need to talk to you guys first."

"What about?" Spike asked, taking his eyes from Faye and looking at Jet. He kept his hand on her hip as she perched on his knee. Jet caught Ed flipping across the room.

"Have a seat, Ed," he told her.

"Okey-dokey!" the flexible child landed comfortably on the coffee table. Jet turned back to Spike and Faye.

"Ed and I had a little conversation down at the police station," he began.

"Uh-oh, get in trouble again, kiddo?" Spike asked her playfully. Ed laughed and shook her head rigorously.

"We've decided it's about time we split the bounty four ways instead of three." Spike lifted his eyebrows at the proposal and Faye's face seemed a tad shocked. "We just figured we'd clear it with you two before we make things official."

"Sounds fair," said Spike. "When it comes to tracking bounty, you have a nose better than Ein's," he smiled. He gave an inaudible chuckle as Ed beamed with pride.

"They don't call Ed Radical Edward for nothing!" she sang.

"So, how 'bout it, Faye?" Spike asked, his voice deepened and hardened as he addressed her.

"Yeah, Faye, don't be stingy," Jet added heartlessly. Faye looked and saw Ed pouting at her.

"What's with you guys? Why do you think I'm gonna say no?" Faye exclaimed defensively.

"Because of that look on your face for one thing," Jet answered. Faye's jaw dropped.

"We all know how Faye Valentine loves her money," Spike said, his voice smooth and quiet. Faye growled briefly before letting her angry face fade into a forced grin for the child.

"Of course I'll agree to this!" she said. She stood and embraced Edward, hugging a red cheek to her pale one. It was then that Spike noticed the pleating detail that decorated the back of Faye's otherwise simple black pencil skirt. He smiled as he wondered what else he could find on her. "Mi dinero es tu dinero," Faye said, being more sincere. Her fake smile became more genuine as she sat down again, next to Spike. Faye really was quite generous, even if it was more toward Edward than to Spike or Jet.

"I knew you'd understand, Faye," Jet smiled. "That's why I'm keeping your money cards until tomorrow."

"**_What?_**" Faye exploded. Spike chuckled, sliding a hand over Faye's tightly clenched fist, as if to keep her from lunging across the coffee table at Jet. Ed came to give her a hug.

"Faye-Faye!" Faye's tense muscles tensed at Ed's touch.

"As of tomorrow, I'm making a new account for Ed," declared Jet. "I'm taking a fourth of each of our earnings from the bounty and it'll go to her."

"A fourth?" echoed Faye in a gentle, bewildered voice.

"It'll leave us each with 18.75 million wulongs from today's bounty." Jet smiled at his crew. "It's still a helluva lot when it all boils down."

"Hmm. That's not so bad," mused Faye with a slight smile. Spike shot a glance at her from the corner of his good eye. Jet shook his hairless head as he stood.

"That's all," he said, heading to the kitchen. "Dinner'll be ready in an hour," he grumbled over his shoulder. Ed flipped off of the table and soared off to roam the corridors of the Bebop. Faye sighed, laying her head in Spike's lap.

"Oh, why does he have to keep our money?" she pouted to him.

"Well how else is he gonna give Ed her share?" Spike replied, fishing out another cigarette with one hand. "A better question would be, how else could he be sure you don't squander it all before then?" he muffled around the filter in his mouth. A flame from his lighter flickered its light on his face, igniting the end of the stick. "You know Jet's soft when it comes to kids. If Ed didn't get her money, he'd dish it out of his own pocket. Then he'd ride you until you paid him back. You don't want that now, do you?" Spike smirked at her. Faye scowled.

"What's he think I'm gonna spend it on? It's not like there's anything to do on Neptune!" she whined. Spike smiled at his shrew. He carefully slid a hand along her waist, trying to avoid disturbing his wound. Faye snuggled herself onto her other side, kissing his bare torso. Her finger ran up his stomach and made a U-turn at his clavicle.

"Wanna go a little lower?" Spike grinned, scooting forward on the cushions. Faye looked up at his insinuating face and chuckled.

"Not now, cowboy," she smiled, kissing him in the same spot. For the time being, it was good enough for Spike. He inhaled another breath of smoke as he laid his head back, letting his eyes ease shut.

* * *

As the crew sat down to their usual meal of bell peppers and beef (without the beef), their moods were elevated, each one having earned 18.75 million wulongs. Other than being injured and somewhat bitter about how it happened, Spike was as elevated as he could be. Edward seemed the happiest of all. Faye had always thought to herself from day to day, _If this is Ed on a regular basis, I'd hate to see her when she's happy._ She was vaguely surprised to see there wasn't much difference.

Jet watched in amusement as Spike inhaled his bell peppers, in spite of how he constantly complained about them. Faye chuckled. "It's a good thing Zahar didn't shoot his right shoulder; he might starve to death." Spike ate on.

"He'd be fine," replied Jet with a smile. "Spike would eat his own arm, face to plate, if it was cooked." Spike looked up at his comrades.

"You guys mind? I'm eating," he muffled around a mouth full of peppers. Faye rolled her eyes, stuffing her own mouth with food.

"Faye-Faye!" came Ed's voice from the center of the group. Faye raised her eyes and saw two golden orbs glittering back at her. Ed's nose was almost close enough to touch hers. Startled, she leaned back a bit.

"What is it, Ed?" she asked, swallowing down a mouthful.

"Ed is happy to have won such a big wulong prize!" she smiled. But just as suddenly, the watts in her face dimmed. "But Ed doesn't know what to buy." Faye listened, gobbling down another fork of bell peppers. "What does Faye-Faye buy with her wulongs?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing you should be interested in," interjected Spike, gulping down his food.

"I believe the kid was addressing me!" Faye growled.

"Hey, I'm just trying to save her from a cruel fate," he joshed. He turned to the girl. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Ed." Faye ignored him and attempted to answer the question.

"Well, I buy lots of things, Ed. Clothes and shoes, food, makeup, anything a girl could ask for," she said appealingly.

Ed's eyes widened with hope and entreaty. "Do you think you could take _me_ to buy things, Faye-Faye?" she asked. "Edward has never bought things before." Faye looked at the girl, realizing that she'd probably never had anyone around to take her shopping. When she found her father on Earth nearly two years ago, he had been too preoccupied to spend much time with her. He'd forget about her so often that he'd usually end up going places and leaving her behind, which didn't sit well with the adventurous Edward. So she came back to the Bebop, having grown attached to the attention and companionship she'd experienced with her new friends. She had been alone for quite some time and it just wasn't fun anymore.

Faye smiled. She felt that for the first time, she could be a role model. Of course she'd have to work on a few things, but she knew that having a woman aboard the ship to lean on was what was best for the fire-mopped tyke, especially since she was flying fast toward being a young woman. It'd benefit Faye as well, providing her the occasional escape from the overwhelming and exhausting testosterone levels.

"Sure, kid. It'll be fun," she said warmly, patting Ed's orange head. Ed sprung forth and gave Faye another hug.

"Faye-Faye!" she shouted happily. Faye drew back slightly.

"Ok, take it easy," she said softly through stiffened muscles.

* * *

_**So! Ed wants in! This is new! Stay tuned to see what happens next! Um, These characters are not mine; they belong to Sunrise. Don't forget it! **_


	6. Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Faye stood occupying space in her quarters. She walked calmly around the room, moving a thing or two here and there. Contemplating the day's occurrences, she fit her pointy shoes back into her closet where she'd found them. As she reached her neck and fingered the soft sash that still hung weightlessly from her collar, she randomly heard the hinges on her door creak. "Yo," came a deep voice. Faye clenched a hand to her chest, startled.

"Jeez, Spike, don't you knock?" she snipped. She relaxed as he let himself in.

"C'mon, Faye. We've fucked enough times; I didn't think I still needed to." His voice was soft. He came closer, slipping an arm around her waist. Faye sighed into his chest.

"Well, there's this little thing called 'common courtesy'," she smiled.

"Never heard of it," Spike grinned, lifting a hand to the nape of her neck. Faye motioned to drape her slender arms over his shoulders, gliding with caution over his bullet wound. Leaning her head on his chest, she gently stroked the bandages. Spike's eyes closed as he encircled her, resting a hand on her posterior. Faye relished the feeling of his warmth. She tilted her face upwards and planted kisses along his jaw, reveling in his masculine, nicotine-enhanced scent. Spike stopped her lips with his, wanting to taste her. She generously allowed him to nip and nuzzle at her pale, smooth skin, letting him linger anywhere to his heart's content. A hand slipped from Faye's neck to her chest. _Finally,_ he thought, as he fumbled at the buttons on her blouse.

"Impressive for one hand," Faye said, her lips still muffled by their kisses.

"You should see what I can do with no hands," he mumbled back, gently clenching her butt. Faye hummed in amusement as he continued. Not even the sacred act of sexual intercourse could protect her from his quips. As Spike reached the last button, he fondled her breast, but found something he hadn't normally felt before, shielding her flesh from his fingers. Reluctantly, he pulled away just far enough so that he could see what was there. He looked down at a smooth, elaborately laced black bra, which tantalizingly lifted and enhanced her already appetizing assets. He exhaled a sigh of awe as he pulled her into him, frantically feeling for the zipper on her skirt. When he found it, he anticipated the sound of fabric making a light thud as it hit the floor.

As she stood before him, her black, lace embroidered undergarments on display, garnished with a provocative grin, Spike lightly willed her to her bed. She perched on the edge of the mattress, crossing her legs seductively. Spike stepped closer, towering above her and straddling her lap.

"Wow, Faye," he breathed. "You really went the whole nine yards for this bounty, didn't you?" An almost evil grin crossed his face. Faye looked up, resting a finger on his belt buckle.

"I came prepared for a funeral," she grinned back, swiftly pointing to his bandaged shoulder. He stepped even more on top of her, seemingly with a vengeance, pulling from her hair the clip that kept up her bun, now a disheveled bird's nest from the day's wear and neglect. He watched as her purple locks fell into place, framing her delicate face. She nudged him back a bit by the waist, infiltrating his pants. She kissed his abs as the trousers fell to the floor, anchored by his belt. Spike breathed deeply as he felt himself stiffening. His heart pumped faster as he felt her cool, delicate hands take hold of him. A shiver shot up his spine as he felt the elastic waistband of his boxers slightly press up on his testicles. Then, Faye's fingers, her lips, her teeth, her tongue, even her hair, all greeted him with a warm, moist embrace.

"Uhh…" Spike moaned through clenched teeth. He grabbed fistfuls of Faye's hair, groping her scalp as she continued. His eyes squeezed tightly shut as Faye ran her tongue along his shaft. He managed to open his eyes and look down at her, watching her for a few moments. He reveled as she seemed to constantly twist and contort her mouth around him, supplying him with infinite sensations. He gasped in shock as he felt Faye's tongue snake it's way around his throbbing tip. A wave of pleasure ripped up his spine, throwing his head back in ecstasy as Faye gently palmed a testicle. Spike faltered, griping Faye's shoulders to keep his balance. He heard, and felt, a chuckle escaping her throat, adding yet another dimension to his pleasure. As his eyes pinched shut, he felt his knees weakening. To mask the fact that he was near buckling under his own weight, he crawled onto the mattress straddling Faye in the process. Gently tugging at his scrotum, Faye led him further onto the mattress until he had her on her back, kneeling above her face. She continued to pleasure him, gliding her fingers over the top of his member as her tongue tasted the underside. "Uhh…" His voice escaped his lungs on forced breath. "Faye," he managed to whisper, just before he gasped for air. Faye gave him one more smooth, slow, erotic lick before an orgasm forced control over his body, releasing projectile satisfaction along with the breath he'd held.

His body still trembling, Spike laid himself horizontally across Faye's bed, staring up at the ceiling. His heavy breathing slowly subsided as Faye rolled onto him, laying little kisses on his chest. She scooted up to his eye level, propping her head on her hand. "God, Faye," he sighed, rolling his head to look at her. He smiled as he observed tiny droplets of white, beading the deep violet strands of her hair. Faye leaned in to kiss his temple, burring her nose in his hair.

"Mm?" she answered dreamily. Spike drew a finger along her jaw before answering.

"I knew sometime that mouth of yours would come in handy." Faye scoffed at his tasteless joke and rolled away from him, growling with indignity. She had just given him pleasure out of the sheer generosity of her heart and _this_ is the thanks she gets?

Spike released a silent sigh. He'd gone a bit too far this time. He never made it a habit to think before he spoke, and right now he was hating this flaw he possessed. He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger and turned to her. "Faye?" he breathed, sliding a hand over her hip.

"What? Want some more of my big mouth?" she snapped. She snuggled her face into the sheets, hiding silent tears.

He felt the abnormal breathing of weeping gently shake her frame. "Faye, you know I didn't mean that," he said, suppressing the aggravation in his voice. Spike didn't particularly mind when he upset Faye. He even seemed to enjoy it when he annoyed her. But he couldn't stand when he _hurt _her. The feeling of her disappointment could eat away at his insides like a ravenous cancer. He would do just about anything in his power to get back into her good graces again.

He let his hand fall into the dip of her waist. Faye just sighed, trying to appear as if she wasn't listening, or feeling. But Spike knew she was. "Faye," he said again, placing his nose on the nape of her neck. Faye remained stoic. "Faye," he smiled, putting his lips on her. Still nothing. "Faye," he laughed, kissing her back, between her shoulder blades. Faye's ticklish nerve endings nearly betrayed her, but she managed to disguise her chuckle as a grunt. Spike grinned; he was getting to her. "Come on, Faye," he whispered, sliding his hand across her stomach. "You can't stay mad at me all night." Faye turned to look at him, a menacing scowl gracing her lips.

"Wanna bet?" she said. She turned away again, not reacting as he groped her.

"Yep," Spike replied, gliding fingertips across her cleavage. "And I'll win," he breathed into the crook of her neck.

"What makes you think that?" she asked, gradually smiling at his touch, but keeping her face hidden.

"You haven't kicked me out yet," he smirked. Faye looked off into nothing, defeated. Spike hugged Faye into him, inhaling the scent of her hair. He closed his eyes as his hand tactically slipped under the waistband of her panties. Faye turned to face him, struggling to maintain a stern look. She watched as Spike touched his head to hers, causing her to refocus her eyes. As he moved in to kiss her, she blocked his lips with two fingers.

"Apologize to me," she said. Spike closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Exhaling, he looked into her eyes. Even imbedded in an angry countenance they still shined like emeralds. Faye waited for him to speak. He was generally disinclined to apologize for his actions, but the way she looked at him wrenched a rare regret from his gut.

"I… I'm sorry, Faye," he said, hugging her warm curves to him. Faye closed her eyes as she was pulled into his chest. She absolutely detested when he made her so angry, but hated to admit she was a sucker for how he made up for it.

"You mean that?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Spike replied, kissing her head. Faye smiled, making light of the conversation.

"I don't think you mean it," she grinned, making her voice sexy again.

"I mean it," Spike laughed, hugging her tighter. Faye pulled away from him gently and looked into his eyes.

"Prove it," she beckoned, flicking up an eyebrow.

"Ok, I will," he simply replied. Never backing down from a challenge, Spike was much obliged to fulfill her request. Rolling her over, he mounted her, dipping his lips into her breasts. Cursing her ticklishness, Faye combed her fingers through his deep green hair as he tasted her.

* * *

_**Yay! It's the lemony part! Tin times. Heh. Don't go away! There's still more to come! Oh, and the characters of the Bebop are property of Sunrise Inc. Not me.**_

_**  
**_


	7. Awkward

Jet, being the early bird that he was, walked the corridors of the Bebop. In space there was little difference between day and night, but clocks on the Bebop indicated it was almost half past 11 am. He had taken it upon himself to go ahead and get Ed her money card, transactions complete and everything. He expected Faye would want her money back soon, so he decided it would be nice to deliver it to her. He'd just wait for Spike to show himself later.

**_Knock knock. _**Jet's metallic arm made the noise louder than it could have been. "Faye? You in there?" he asked. Standing and waiting for a reply, Jet grew impatient. "Faye! Money!" he called, hoping it would get her up. As Jet looked away, about to retreat, he started as the door creaked open.

"Good morning to you too, Jet," came a voice other than Faye's. Jet turned and saw a groggy Spike standing at the cracked door. He held a pillow to his groin for the sole purpose of covering himself. Jet blushed, clearing his throat into his fist. Boldly venturing eye contact, he spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt your sleepover, but I've got your cards," he said, holding up Faye's card. He reached into his pocket to retrieve Spike's.

"Well," Spike smirked. "Won't the little woman be pleased!" Just then, Spike felt arms around his chest. Jet saw Faye's purple head appear on Spike's shoulder.

"Hey, thanks, Jet!" she said in a voice ridding itself of sleep. She weaved her arm under Spike's and reached out to her card in Jet's hand. Jet nervously looked up and away, running his mechanical hand over his bare head, as he noticed Faye's voluptuous hips peering from behind Spike's lean frame. He cleared his throat again. Faye laughed against Spike's back. With a flash of mischief in her eyes, she gripped the ends of Spike's pillow and gently tugged him back into the room with it. Grabbing his money card from Jet's outreached hand, Spike grinned and offered Jet a quick salute before playfully slamming the door.

Jet stood there in awe, wishing he'd never witnessed such a disturbing scene. _I'm never doing t**hat** again, _he thought to himself as he walked toward the kitchen.

_I need a cigarette._

* * *

_**This one's a shortie. Just a little interlude I had fun writing. I had no intention of writing an interlude, it just kinda appeared. Heh! I think it's cute! Once again, these characters are not mine, but the property of Sunrise animation. Stay Tuned!**  
_


	8. Thinking Of Edward

"Hold still, Ed, would ya?" Faye grumbled, trying to coax Edward into one spot. Ed bounded across the floor of Faye's quarters.

"Why must Ed be still?" she asked, trying her hand at coyness.

"Because," Faye answered, "there's no way you're going out in public with me looking like that!" Gripping Ed by the shoulder, she held a comb firmly in her hand as she attempted to rake it through Edward's unruly hair.

"Ow! Oww! Owowowowowow!" Ed howled, pinching an eye shut. Faye showed no mercy.

"For crying out loud, Ed, you're a girl! You should at least comb your hair every once in a while!" Faye lectured.

After a few short minutes, which seemed all too long for Edward, Faye released her grip, pulling a rather large orange hairball from the teeth of her comb. "There," Faye sighed. "Doesn't that feel much better?" Ed peered at herself in the mirror, examining her hair. The style was still her beloved edgy, ambiguous look, but it held a new luster and sheen. She touched her head. Aside from the throbbing of receding pain, it felt much lighter.

"Faye-Faye made Ed's hair shiny!" she grinned at her reflection. Faye smiled at Ed's appreciation.

"Now, after we get done with you, you'll look even more decent!" Ed grinned as Faye stood up. "Let's go, kid," she said coolly as she opened the door.

* * *

Jet reclined in the cockpit of the Bebop, tending to the computer systems. They'd just landed on Venus and he looked forward to a rest on the terrain. Finally kicking back, he heard Spike enter the room. "Hey, Spike-o," he said in a friendly tone. Spike nodded a silent greeting. "How's that arm of yours?" Jet asked. Spike shrugged carelessly, slightly flinching as he accidentally jarred the wound. In the week that had passed it was healing nicely, but was still quite tender and sore.

"Been better," he grumbled. He carefully stretched and tensed the muscles in his arm, conditioning himself to the movement again. "The girls are gone," he informed, leaning against the wall lighting a cigarette.

"Already?" Jet asked. "We just landed not ten minutes ago." Spike silently conformed to the wall, taking a slow drag. "Oh well," Jet said after a pause. "I'm at least glad to see that Faye kept her promise to the kid. Ed looked so excited last week when she got her first share of the bounty."

"Easy, gramps," Spike smirked. "Is that a _tear_ I see?" Jet's demeanor hardened as he turned to glare at Spike. There was no tear, of course. Spike smiled at him, coming in to have a seat with the ex-cop. Propping his feet up on the control panel, he spoke again. "Looks like Faye's going soft on the kid too. Am I the only sane one left?"

"Don't act like you don't like that kid, Spike," Jet said, not stirring. "Ed's like a sister to you." Spike looked at the bald man, his cigarette dangling from his lips. He smiled faintly as he reclined, folding his hands behind his fluffy head.

"Yeah. A deranged, computer hacking genius sister," he answered finally, smirking. Jet sighed.

"You act more and more like her big brother every day. You two even have the same hair," he joked. Spike couldn't help but laugh. He ran his long fingers through his deep, olive green fluff, contemplating the similarity. Looking over at the man, he decided Jet was right. Jet was always right. Spike cared for Ed more than he was willing to admit. Standing, he stretched his long arms over his head, trying to ignore the sharp pain that shot through his limbs from his shoulder.

"Wanna go get a drink?" he asked Jet casually, a grimace fading from his face.

"You buyin'?" Jet inquired, standing as well.

"Only if you get me desert afterwards," he joked. Jet chuckled as Spike followed him out of the cockpit.

* * *

_**Aww! Isn't that nice! Ed's so cute::grins:: Stay tuned! Characters are not mine, they're Sunrise's. **_


	9. A Day With The Girls

Ed followed closely behind Faye through the shopping district of Venus. She smiled, looking into various windows of shops and boutiques they passed. In her happy state, she admired Faye, examining her clothing. Despite popular belief on the Bebop, Faye really did have good taste in clothes. She wore a sleek shirt-dress tailored to the knee in crimson red, with a simple black kitten heel. Topped off with a shiny pair of black, progressive lens tint sunglasses, she looked, to Ed, like a movie star.

"So Ed," Faye's voice floated over her shoulder. "Whaddaya wanna buy?" She looked minimally at the kid, her baggy white midriff shirt and black bike shorts an eyesore to her. Ed grinned.

"Ed likes Faye-Faye's clothes when Faye-Faye is not bounty hunting," she replied. "When you're on the Bebop, Spike-person says you dress like a h--" A hand clapped over the child's mouth.

"No need to repeat what Spike-person says," patronized Faye through clenched teeth, nervously chuckling down a fit of rage. She'd had a feeling Ed might embarrass her in public, but she was more upset about what Spike had said, although she'd heard it in passing from him and Jet many times before. "That lunkhead," she mumbled, releasing Ed's head. "So, what was your point?" she asked, regaining her senses.

"Edward wants clothes like Faye-Faye!" Ed cheered, wrapping her thin arms about Faye's waist. Faye was surprised that she felt more and more comfortable with Ed's constant invasion of her personal space. Looking down at the kid, she remembered her desire to dress Ed up.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Faye grinned, hastily pushing Ed ahead of her.

* * *

The Hammerhead and the Swordfish II eased down onto the open platform of the Bebop. Walking the length of the hangar, Jet rubbed his bald head with the cool metal of his hand. "They're still not back yet," he said to Spike, who wandered behind him cupping a hand over the flame of his lighter. 

"That's no surprise," Spike replied, removing his hands to reveal the brightly lit coal at the end of a fresh cigarette. "Women and their shopping."

"It's almost eight o'clock," gruffed Jet, looking at his watch. "I better call up Faye on her comm. just in case. Spike walked past him on his way to the living space.

"Daddy worried about his two little girls?" he teased over his shoulder. Jet growled as he pressed the button on his communicator.

* * *

Faye was suddenly startled by the beeping at her waist. Pressing the button to communicate, she saw the surly bald man glaring at her. "Mind telling us where you are, Faye?" he demanded, sounding more angry than concerned.

"Oh hey, Jet!" Faye smiled into the comm.

"Spike and I went out for drinks and we _still_ beat you home," he growled.

"Oh, so you're the other woman," she replied playfully.

"I'm not even going to pretend that's funny, Faye." Faye chuckled at his response.

"Take it easy, big guy. You can't rush beauty." She flashed a seductive smile. Jet's expression softened when he heard Ed's voice warbling in from off-screen.

"Faye-Faye, Ed is tired! Can we buy food now? Puh-leeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

"Alright, alright! In a minute, squirt!" answered Faye, sounding vaguely irritated. Jet grumbled, feeling a little more at ease.

"Ok, well finish up what you're doing and get back to the ship, got it?"

"Ugh, you men are so impatient," Faye said, rolling her eyes. Ed's voice rang out in the background again.

"Faye-Faye! Faye-Faye! Faye-Faye! Faye-Faye! _Faye-Faye!"_ Jet watched as Faye released a deep sigh of aggravation, resting her head in her palm.

"And feed the kid, will ya?" he snapped. "They say people go crazy without food!"

"Believe me, Jet, it's too late for that," Faye moaned into the comm. "Bye," she waved, disappearing from the screen. Jet had his mouth poised for another comment, but was cut off. Sighing, he rubbed his smooth head and walked into the living space.

He found Spike, relaxing on the yellow sofa, with his feet propped on the coffee table. His blue jacket was discarded over the back of the couch and his thin tie sat loosely around the yellow collar of his shirt. "Did you reach 'em?" he asked as Jet came in. Jet sunk into the yellow chair across from his comrade.

"What is it with women and shopping?" he asked openly.

"I told you," smirked Spike. He lifted his cigarette to his lips. "Besides, if Faye wanted to run away, I doubt she'd take the kid. I'm surprised she even carried her comm. with her," he said, exhaling a grey cloud. Jet nodded quietly, lighting his own cigarette.

"Women are unpredictable," he said finally, pressing himself into the back of the chair. Spike raised an eyebrow.

"I beg to differ, my friend. Women are all pretty much the same."

"Well, explain how you fell in love with a woman who's just like all the rest of 'em."

"I did say _pretty much_." Spike let the faintest hint of a smile rest on his lips as he thought of Faye.

* * *

_**Yes. Like Spike, I, too, have gotten tired of seeing Faye in her yellow hooker ::coughcough:: I mean hunter outfit. I just thought I'd make her a little snazzier! (I watch too much "What Not To Wear".) Oh yeah. Cowboy Bebop is owned by Sunrise Inc, not me. (However, I have freedom to change Faye's wardrobe! Yes!) **_


	10. The Goddess, The Angel and The Acrobat

_Spike lay reclined on the open dock of the Bebop, inhaling the harmful, therapeutic fumes from a lit cigarette. He gazed into the night sky, at the twinkling stars that shined their light for him to see. The sky was a magnificent color, one he'd never seen in the sky before; a deep, dark purple. He stared as stars shifted, roamed, zoomed across their plum background. As they settled, he squinted as he thought he saw Faye, smiling down at him. He stared, unmoving, at the face. Flecks of green accumulated in the sky; in her eyes. He stared and stared until something caught his eye. A star, off to the side, began to grow. Spike watched as it grew and grew. It grew until suddenly he could see nothing but pale yellow. He continued to stare, as a black bird flew across his line of vision, leaving in its wake a faint outline. He stared. The outline drew itself into a face he knew oh, so well. "Julia." he felt his lips shape the word, but never heard it. He continued to gaze into the ever-changing sky as it began to wave and flow, blowing in celestial wind. Spike longed to reach out and touch the image, wanting to run fingers through the illusion of golden locks. His eyebrows furrowed as he lay pasted to the dock. He couldn't reach; he couldn't move. "Julia," he mouthed again. But nothing happened. He watched helplessly as the phantom lips parted to speak._

"_Spike-person…"_

* * *

"Spike-person!" Spike shifted in his sleep. "Helloooooo!" came the voice again. His eyes blinked open to see a shiny mop of orange, hanging over him and obstructing his view. Edward looked down at him with a cheerful expression. She had been wandering the corridors of the ship that night and was distracted by the lean figure sprawled on the yellow sofa. She had watched the muscles in his arms twitch, weighed down with sleep, and heard the faint whispers escape his mouth.

"Oh, it's you," he grumbled, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Don't you know it's not nice to wake people up?" Ed maneuvered acrobatically over the back of the sofa, making her way to the coffee table.

"Ed heard Spike-person dreaming. You are one noisy sleeper!" Spike rubbed his face, pushing the hand up into his hair. Opening one eye, he looked at Edward. She was laid along the length of the coffee table, her awkward feet stuck skyward in the air behind her as a cheerful face sat propped upon two fists. "Were you having a spooky nightmare?" she inquired with an innocent smile.

"I…" Spike closed his eyes again and sighed. "I'm not sure." He grunted as he sat up, resting his groggy face in the palms of his hands.

"What were you dreaming about?" Ed asked. She sat up too, almost mimicking his actions. Spike looked up at her, unwilling to answer. He was relieved when she continued speaking. "Ed heard Spike say 'J--! J--! J--'! Were you dreaming about Papa Jet?" Spike barely smiled at the concern in the child's eyes.

"No, not Jet," he said after a long pause. He leaned back into the cushions and pulled out a cigarette. Ed sat criss-cross on the table, resting her chin on her fist.

"Hmm," she thought. "Jupiter? January? June? July? Gemstones? Spooky Jack-o-lanterns!" Spike watched her, shaking his head with every guess. The cigarette rested unlit between his lips. "Jelly! Jam! Juu-juu-bees! Jewels!"

Finally, Spike placed his large hand on top of her orange head; her last guess had been a little too close for comfort. She looked up at him curiously. "Why aren't you asleep somewhere?" he asked her, changing the subject.

"Edward could not sleep," she said, looking down at her interlaced fingers. "But not because of you, Spikey!" she hurriedly added. She grinned at him nervously. Spike smirked. Was Ed letting signs of a young, teenage girl crush show? Perhaps.

"Was it something Faye fed you? I wouldn't trust her if I were you," he said smiling.

"But Ed likes Faye-Faye!" Ed said defensively. Spike chuckled.

"I know, Ed. I'm just messing with your head." He placed his unlit cigarette behind his ear. "Faye's a good person." Ed smiled delightfully.

"Good Faye-Faye!" she laughed, lunging forward to catch Spike in a big hug. He jolted in surprise as Ed's arms encircled his neck. He lightly patted her back, feeling strangely awkward. "Good Spike-person, too!" she said in a sprightly tone. Spike smiled pitifully as he let out a sigh.

"Ok," he said, gently unleashing himself from her grip. He stood, carefully stretching out his arms and back. "I'm gonna go get some shut-eye. I suggest you do the same." As his hands came down, he let one rest on her head again. He stroked her hair as one would stroke Ein's fur.

"Okey-dokey, Spike-person," she smiled. Plopping herself down on the sofa where Spike had been, Ed made herself comfortable. She watched as he dragged his jacket off the back of the sofa and tossed it over his shoulder. He stopped at the stairs.

"Hey Ed," he called.

"Mm?"

"Don't wake people up like that again."

"Ay ay, Captain Spike-person!" she saluted, closing her eyes. Spike continued on to his room.

_Spike, you're gettin' soft,_ he told himself, grateful that she woke him from his nightmare.

* * *

**_Ah, Julia! Haven't seen much of her lately, have we? A dream sequence. Pretty weird, huh? I thought it would be more realistic (er, more unrealistic, in terms of how real dreams are... ya know). Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc! Until next time!_**


	11. Lack of Privacy

Faye let out a pleased sigh as she felt the warm water pour over her violet hair. _This is the life_, she thought to herself, squeezing shampoo from a bottle into her hand. She scrubbed at her scalp, letting the bubbles slide down her arms and neck. She rinsed, feeling completely relaxed. She was happy that she'd gotten to the hot water before Spike again. How she enjoyed the annoyed look on his face when he was left with her icy-cold leftovers. She thought of herself as somewhat of a sadist in that respect. Absently, she released a quiet, sinister chuckle into the air. Her eyes slid closed as she let the water rinse away her shampoo and her cares. When they opened, they were met with quite a shock to the system.

"Aaah!" she shrieked when her emerald eyes opened to meet a pair of molasses ones. Losing her balance, she slipped on the suds, her backside colliding with the hard shower floor. Spike's eyes widened as the scream startled him a little, but seeing her fall made him erupt with laughter. Faye glared at him, hot water streaming down locks of hair and into her face. "What the hell, Spike! Are you trying to kill me?" she shouted at her peeping tom. Spike, still laughing, swiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Kill you? He guffawed, gasping for air. "You're killing me!" Faye leered in his direction.

"What do you want, Spike?" she shouted.

"Why do I have to want something?" he asked, coming down from his laughter. He extended a hand to help her up. Begrudgingly, she took it. Her anger began to melt as she watched his eyes leave hers to linger over her drenched hair and skin.

"Whaddaya want, Spike?" she asked again, resting a fist on hr hip. Her voice was gentler.

"Well, Faye," he began, pushing back the curtain a tad. "I want _you_ to share the hot water." He reached up to unbutton the buttons on his yellow shirt. Faye noticed he'd slept in his clothes again.

"And what makes you think I'd be so inclined?" she smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, nothing's telling me you'd be disinclined, my dear." He lifted a finger to her chin. The bite in his tone made him sound anything but loving. Withdrawing his hand, he let the shirt slip off his shoulders. He lifted his undershirt over his head, roughing up his already unruly hair. He breathed a casual grunt of relief as he let it fall at his feet.

"What happens if I don't?" Faye asked, eying the hole in his shoulder as he unzipped his navy slacks.

"In that case, I'll have to take it from you," he answered. Carefully, he stepped out of his pants and into the shower, agonizingly close to Faye. She stood, not moving as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He put his face next to hers as he felt the embrace of the hot water warming his body, gently stinging delicate scar tissue. Inhaling the warm vapor along with the fresh, sweet scent of shampoo, Spike ran his fingers down the length of her torso, stopping at her hips. He softly moaned as he pulled her into him, gently cupping her buttocks. "Does it still hurt?" he asked, smiling over her shoulder.

"Not as much as you're going to," Faye replied with a grin. Spike snickered, replaying the fall in his head. "It wasn't that funny, you know," she said in response to his renewed laughter.

"Yes it was." He smiled, pressing his lips into her neck. At the instant of contact between his lips and her skin, Faye felt herself begin to weaken. He slowly backed her into the wall, gaining pleasure from the gentle gasp she voiced as her hot skin met the cold tiles. He felt her nipples harden against his chest. She draped her arms over his shoulders as he pushed against her.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" she whispered.

"I love you too, Faye," he grinned victoriously, letting her lust take over.

* * *

Edward dug through the numerous shopping bags she and Faye had acquired the day before, pulling out piece after piece of clothing. She held up each piece before her tiny frame, looking down at what she saw. She had purchased so many things that they were beginning to litter the entire width of the corridor she sat in. Just then, Jet walked past, stopping as his eye caught the unusually vibrantly colored hallway.

"Ed?" he said tentatively as he peeped into the corridor.

"Good morning, Jet-person!" she chirped, looking over her shoulder at the big, bald man. Jet stepped forward, rubbing his head as he looked at the mess.

"What, may I ask, are you doing throwing all this stuff around like that?"

"Edward is trying to decide what to wear!" Ed replied, tossing a shirt aside. Ein, who was sleeping nearby, stirred as the garment landed on his head. Shaking it off, he walked over to the girl and curiously sniffed at one of the bags.

"In the hallway?" Jet asked, scratching his head.

"Ed will change in Faye-Faye's room," Ed smiled. Jet kneeled down beside the girl, absently peering into a bag. Seeing its contents, he quickly scooted it away. He rubbed his cool metal hand over his face in a futile attempt to hide his blushing. "Faye-Faye says Ed should have 'linger-ree'!" said Ed, reaching for the bag Jet had discarded.

"Lingerie, Ed?" Jet corrected, peering through his fingers at the kid, feeling his cheeks grow redder.

Ed shrugged flippantly. "That's what the sign said." Jet looked at her, convinced that she shouldn't even know what lingerie was.

"How old are you, Ed?" he asked her, looking at her quizzically.

"Edward will be sixteen in January!" she announced proudly. Jet's eyes widened with shock. Was she really that old? He looked her over, noticing the new pajama set she wore. Bright green shorts with a pattern of tiny yellow and pink tulips, paired with a green camisole; a matching robe draped her bony shoulders. All three pieces were in a shiny satin fabric. They draped her little figure perfectly; fortunately they didn't cling like Faye's pajamas did. There wasn't much to cling to, at least not yet. Jet stood, pinching the bridge of his nose between a metallic finger and thumb. He looked down at Ed, who was now holding the Welsh Corgi in her arms and stroking his sandy fur. "Does Ein like Edward's new clothes?" she asked him as he nuzzled her cheek with a cold, wet nose.

_It's time Ed got her own room,_ Jet thought to himself, inconspicuously leaving the scene.

* * *

Spike relaxed peacefully on the cold tiles of the shower floor. His arms were wrapped loosely around Faye, who sat lazily between his lean legs. They lay together, enraptured in a blissfully sluggish lip lock. The heat from the water all dissipated, the remnants of the steam clung to the walls in cool, drippy condensation. The showerhead rained mercilessly on the two of them, neither of them immediately registering its significant decline in temperature. Spike ran slim, pruned fingertips along the smooth contours of Faye's body. He smiled into his kisses.

They had washed each other; gently massaging soaps and bubbles into each other's skin. He thought of how she had rested her head back on his shoulder as he smothered her body with fragrant soap. He remembered how she had giggled, her voice almost blending in with the trickling water, as he reached her stomach and thighs. The intimacy of the act had eventually sent them reeling into the deep throes of erotica.

Gradually becoming aware of their surroundings through the light, splattering sound of water droplets pounding the tiles around them and breaking into his consciousness, Spike drew his hand to Faye's chin, almost grudgingly pulling his lips from hers.

"Faye…" he breathed, barely lifting his eyelids. Faye slowly looked up at him, her eyes batting open to contribute to a faint smile. She lightly shifted to get more comfortable in his grasp. The slight separation between the two bodies let the cold water pour onto the skin and dribble into every cranny of previously warmed flesh. Spike felt a violent shiver reverberate from her body as a tremor shot up his spine. He squinted against the glairing light. "Mmm," his throat gurgled out. "How long have we been in here?" he moaned drowsily. Faye snuggled against his chest, silently shrugging her response. As he slid his fingers across her skin again, he noticed his fingertips; they were as wrinkly as raisins. He chuckled to himself as he rested his head back onto the shower wall. "Think we should get out now?" he asked, in good humor. He was never one to kill the mood, but as far as he was concerned, the quickly advancing awareness of his body temperature had already stomped it into the ground. Besides, he was sure he could rekindle it elsewhere.

"No!" Faye doggedly whined, turning her body to kiss his neck. As water poured in between their warm bodies yet again, Spike trembled, hugging her closer to him. In spite of Faye's lustful advances, Spike still wanted to move from that spot. He at least wanted to turn off the water. For a split second, he thought about asking Jet to do it. He shuddered at the idea, quickly banishing the thought from his mind.

"Let's stay here," Faye advocated in a sensual glottal growl. Raising herself up onto her knees, she let her hands gently glide from his thighs all the way to his shoulders. Her slender fingers curled around the base of his neck as she looked down at him, water droplets sliding down cold, wet locks and onto Spike's cheeks.

Spike limply slipped his fingers up her thighs until they rested neatly around her thin waist. His right hand seemed somewhat discontent, continuing upward until it gently cupped her breast, pressing its palm into her stiffened nipple. He kissed her chest, just below the base of her neck.

Faye grinned at his touch, as if she'd successfully lured an innocent victim into her trap of seduction. Water continued to pour down her back and stream over her shoulders as she kissed his forehead. Momentarily, Spike pulled away, slightly sobering her.

"Uh… Faye?" Spike looked up at her, his eyes gently urging her to stop and listen.

**_Thump! Thump! Thump!_ **The noise was so sudden that it violently jarred Faye from her sexual reverie. Her hold on Spike's shoulders became a nail-laden death grip as her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Faye! There are three more people on this ship besides you! Get the hell out of there and leave some water for the rest of us, _damn it_!" roared a voice from outside of the room.

Faye's chest heaved as the pounding of Jet's metallic arm on the door reverberated in her ears. She looked down at Spike, who wore a sympathetic grin. He seemed to ignore the claws gripping at his flesh if only to see the shock on Faye's face. She glared at him.

"You heard him coming, didn't you?" she asked in calm accusation.

"You mean you couldn't?" he replied. "You can hear Jet for miles." He pulled her frigid body toward him, replacing his lips where they were on her chest. He gently hummed into her skin, letting the vibrations loosen her muscles.

Playfully pushing her away, he motioned to stand. "Let's get outta here, Romani," he said.

* * *

_**Haha! Well, not quite a lemon, but almost. Fun times. Well, I hope you enjoyed this installment. There's more to come. Stick around! Also, Cowboy Bebop is property of Sunrise Inc, '98.  
**_


	12. Two's Company

Jet sat in the old yellow chair focused on Ed, who sat on the coffee table searching for bounties to chase. "Find anything?" he asked the redheaded hacker. There was a long pause; Jet peered carefully over Ed's shoulder.

"Yes indeedy!" she sang finally, pushing her computing goggles up into her hair triumphantly as endless rows of data loaded onto the monitor of her Tomato. Ed crossed her arms and happily swayed from side to side. "Eenie meenie miny moe! Take a pick; you're good to go!" she sang, grinning brightly. As she flipped off of the table, she tumbled into a heap. "Woah!"

"Ed?" Jet called, looking behind the table at a tangle of bronzed limbs.

"Owie- ouchie!" she moaned, straightening out and rubbing her head. She looked down at herself, realizing why she'd fallen. She was met with a cheerful image of a strawberry cluster on her chest that adorned a fitted, bright green tank top, lined with strawberry piping. The hem of it hung below the waistline of a pair of black denim cropped pants that flared into a slight bell just above her ankles. "Ed's new pants tripped Ed!" she whined, looking up at Jet with large, amber eyes. Jet smiled at her sympathetically.

"You'll get used to it," he said quite fatherly, patting the girl's orange mane. Just then he was distracted by a peeved voice.

"There, Jet, I'm out. Ya happy?" Jet turned to see Faye, leaning on the railing above the living room. The sash of her terrycloth robe was quite sloppily tied, and the towel on her head was not as meticulously wrapped as usual.

"Finally," Jet mumbled to himself.

"What's your problem goin' around pounding on doors like that? I practically jumped out of my skin!" she shouted light-heartedly. Jet stood patiently, subduing his aggravation.

"My problem, _Faye_, is that when I went into the kitchen to make breakfast there wasn't one drop of hot water to be found! And besides, this is _my_ ship and I'm free to pound on any of _my_ doors if I so choose!" he grumbled, folding massive arms over a massive chest, an action he hoped made him appear less like a nagging parent and more like a disgruntled figure of authority. Faye smiled after his valid explanation.

"Hey, like I said before, you can't rush beauty," she smirked, hugging herself affectionately.

"Well, miss beauty queen," Jet retorted. "Have you ever once considered everyone else's needs on this ship? I've probably never seen Spike more pissed off than when he has to wake up to a cold shower. Frankly, I'm tired of him and I'm tired of you!" Faye's arms floated to her sides as she sighed. The corners of her lips curled up into a gentle smile.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Spike this time," she lilted, lightly tip-toeing away. Jet's face twisted into a quizzical grimace as he watched her go. His head jerked to the other end of the hallway as he saw Spike meandering from the corridors. His clothes dangled from a messy ball in his fist. He wore a towel around his waist.

"Yo," he stated coolly as he walked along the hall on a non-stop stroll to his quarters. Jet winced at Spike's telltale attire, flopping back into his seat.

"Shit," he growled into his hands as they shielded his face from the humiliating chaos.

Ed sat on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table, peering up at the older crewmembers. She adored every one of them, but wondered why they were always at each other's throats. She looked up at Jet, who still sat with his head dropped. She climbed onto the table and sat in front of him. When Jet looked up, he was met by the child's perpetual grin. "Don't be sad, Papa Jet!" she said, transferring some of her infectious good mood to the man. Jet sighed at her.

"What am I going to do with those two?" he asked, somewhat rhetorically. Ed shrugged; her face wore a look of blissful ignorance. Jet heaved a heavy sigh as he stood. "Welp," he said. "Hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Ed shouted excitedly, spreading her wings and flying ahead of Jet into the kitchen.

* * *

_**The end of a relatively short chapter. Not to worry, the next one is on its way! I wouldn't leave you hangin' with such a miniscule chapter now, would I? I have a heart. Don't forget that Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc. and not me. That's good to know.**_


	13. Bacon and Eggs For The Soul

Jet cooked breakfast with a heightened spirit; he was grateful for the hefty bounty they'd raked in the week before. He was able to buy enough food for the gang on the ship, but thanks to the medical bill charged for the injury of Vladimir Zahar's leg, he didn't have as much left as he'd hoped._ For once it's no fault of Spike's,_ he thought. As bacon sizzled in the skillet, it permeated its tantalizing scent throughout the ship. It wasn't long before Faye arrived in the kitchen, drawn by the mouthwatering scent. Jet glanced up as he felt her presence in the doorway.

"You look hungry," he said as he saw her eyes glitter at the sight of actual breakfast.

"She looks like a hooker," said Spike from behind her. The voice startled her momentarily; she didn't expect to hear him slither up. She visibly stiffened at his words.

"…Lunkhead," she snarled as she shot an evil glance in his direction. Spike paid no heed to her look and waltzed on in past her into the room. As he plopped down at the little, square kitchen table next to Ed, Faye silently mused to herself. _I'm not even wearing the yellow outfit today,_ she thought. She looked down at what she wore; it was a sky blue tank top and a pair of burgundy shorts. _Could be the shorts,_ she thought. They were, in reality, not much longer than her old yellow hotpants. She turned to the side and looked down her hip along the length of her leg, almost as if giving herself a private fashion show.

* * *

She began to remember that time a while ago when she won big at the casino. It was a grand accumulation of 10 million wulongs. Spike happened to be there when it happened, and dragged her away from the roulette table before she lost it all. So instead of gambling the money away, Faye had eventually decided to spend it. She had purchased a whole new wardrobe; if not a replacement, than a supplement of the meager amount of clothing she had before she came to live on the Bebop. She still wasn't sure if she'd done it all for him.

* * *

Spike watched as she modeled for herself. She was trying to be subtle about it, but it wasn't exactly going over that way. The worried look on her face made him almost sorry for his comment. _Almost._

"Faye," Spike said. He tossed her name nonchalantly into the air, lighting a cigarette in his usual calm, cool manner. He stretched his leg underneath the kitchen table, kicking out a chair across from him. She tentatively stepped toward the chair and took a seat, just noticing the dark t-shirt and green boxers he wore. Before she had a chance to turn up her nose, Spike was offering her a smoke, and tempting her with a charming half-smile. She tried her best to sneer at him, but ended up in a strange grimace as she took the stick from him. As she placed the unlit cigarette between her lips she leaned across the table slightly, exuding indifference paired with seductiveness as she inwardly cursed herself for not being able to stay mad at his good looks for long. He gave her a light.

"Come and get it," spoke Jet, finishing his preparation of scrambled eggs, as specially requested by Edward. He wiped a splatter of bacon grease onto his white frilly apron as he turned to observe his crew. Ed bounded forward to piece together her dish.

"Buffet style today, Jet?" asked Faye, barely motioning to move from her seat. Since she was usually never anywhere near the kitchen when food was prepared, she'd grown quite accustomed to Jet tracking her down and bringing her a plate.

"Unfortunately yes, your majesty," he replied, casually leaning against the counter. Faye gave a smile, then looked over to where Ed was already returning to her seat. She chuckled as she watched Edward construct a smiley face out of her breakfast; a slice of toast cut in half sat protruding from the top edge of her plate with a dollop of jam in the center of each half, two strips of bacon arched along the bottom perimeter making a happy mouth, and two little piles of scrambled eggs made cheeks: Ed's signature smiley face. It became more and more apparent that Ed had gone grocery shopping with Jet. Of course he couldn't resist humoring the kid. Faye wondered why, but to her the happy construction made the food look even more appetizing.

"Christ, Spike! Leave some eggs, will ya!" shouted Jet, distracting Faye from her amusement. She looked up to see the two men. Jet seemed quite irritated, glaring at his younger compadre. Spike stared back at him blankly, a strip of bacon protruding from his mouth. "What is it with you and sharing?" Jet continued. Spike's shoulders seemed to settle as he looked up in thought. Then he shrugged them, smiling lightly around the bacon as he reached for a slice or two of toast. He was silent throughout their entire exchange. Jet released an exasperated sigh as he turned away from him.

"If I were you I'd hurry up, Faye," he said over his burly shoulder. He prepared himself a less-than-generous plate, just to ensure there would be enough left. Faye reluctantly stood, smiling as she made her way to where the food was. She looked at Spike as he turned carelessly to take his seat, and fought back an overwhelming urge to slap him. Or was it to kiss him? Something. She wasn't entirely sure.

Ed watched him too, stifling her laughter at the recent, one-sided conversation. It came out as a childish snicker. Spike sat down and playfully gave the kid's fiery head a shove. She swatted back at his arm as he picked up a piece of toast. Jet sat down rolling his steely eyes at the immaturity levels.

Chomping into his slice of toast, Spike looked up as Faye returned to the table. His eating slowed as he observed her. "What are you doing?" he asked her quizzically. He had watched her spread grape jam on two slices of toast, and now she was piling scrambled eggs onto one of them. She looked up at him.

"What?" she asked, placing two strips of bacon on the eggs in an X formation. Spike absently pointed at her plate with the crust of his toast.

"Faye-Faye eats funny!" laughed Ed.

"So do you, smiley face!" she retorted. Spike grinned slyly as Faye showered her eggs and bacon with light sprinkles of salt and pepper, and placed the jellied toast on top. He caught her in his gaze again as she lifted the sandwich to her lips. "What?" she said again. "I'm a method eater!" Spike scoffed.

"Ok, if _that's_ what you call it," he teased. Jet looked up from his glass of orange juice, another one of Edward's whimsical desires.

"She's not the only one around here who eats everything at once," he said, aiming his jab at Spike. Spike answered with a goofy face, drawing another laugh from Ed.

Sobering, he looked at Faye again as she sat chewing on a bite of her culinary creation. He vaguely remembered that every time they'd had bell peppers and beef, Faye would always eat the green bell peppers before the yellow ones. Once, Jet had thrown in a few red bell peppers; she ate those first. On the rare occasions when there actually was beef, she'd save it for last. Spike decided that this side of Faye was cute. Adorable even. Perhaps even a tad… sexy?

"What?!" Faye raised her voice at him. Her shout shook him back into consciousness.

"Nothing," he smiled.

* * *

_**Aww! Nothing like having fun while eating the most important meal of the day! In this case, it was probably more like brunch. But hey! Brunch is even more fun! Anywho, I felt like injecting Faye with a little bit of me, so she eats bell peppers and beef in the same way I would (although I eat my breakfast differently). Just a little food for thought! **_

_**Cowboy Bebop is solely the property of Sunrise Inc.**_


	14. The Adventures of BatGirl!

Ed hung loosely from the piping that lined the deep, secluded corridors of the Bebop. She wore another of her new outfits; this time it was a turquoise tank top and a long, flowing, lavender skirt that fell just below her knobby knees. Because she knew she'd be upside down on a whim, she continued to wear her old black bike shorts underneath. She marveled at the fluttering fabric as she dangled from the steel rafters like an exceptionally energetic sloth.

She looked up at the floor as she heard the clicking of Ein's little claws on the metal. "Ein!" she enthused as the little dog waddled beneath her. He stopped and looked up, sitting on his hind paws. "Ed is a _vampire bat!_ Muhuhuahahaha!" The dog whimpered in question as he cocked his head to the side. "Oh! Someone's coming, Ein!" she said as she heard the shuffling footsteps of clunky boots. "Hide!" she whispered, scrambling up and out of sight. Ein trotted away, not really caring if he was seen or not.

Ed sat in wait for her unsuspecting prey. Locking her feet together she slid to the underside of the pipe, hopefully bringing surprise to her target. "Raawr!" she shouted as she dangled face to inverted face with her fluffy-haired victim. "I vant to zock your blod!" she roared in her mock Transylvanian accent. She giggled, spreading her circle skirt behind her like a pair of wings. Spike looked at her, cigarette in mouth.

"Hey, Ed," he said, gently clenching the filter with his teeth.

"Did Ed scare you, Spi-Spike perso-person?" she asked, subduing a laugh so she could at least hear his answer. She grinned from ear to ear.

"No, but you look pretty creepy," he replied, removing the cigarette from his lips. He exhaled off to the side to avoid breathing his smoke directly at the kid. She roared again, flapping her skirt wings. Spike smiled as her orange hair stood on end like upside-down fire. Gravity pulled up on her reddened cheeks, making her golden eyes seem to stand out more than usual. She actually did look creepy.

"Whatcha doin', Spike-person?" she asked, still smiling.

"The usual. Walkin'. Smokin'…" _Missing Faye_, he added in thought. This, he felt sure he would never have the gall to voice, not even to Ed.

"Ohhh!" Ed exclaimed. "Spike person knows smoking's bad for you!" she teased, wagging an upside-down finger at him.

"Yeah, but walking's not," he replied with a smirk.

"A moment on the lips, the hips, the lips, a lifetime on the lungs!" she sang gleefully. Spike raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused by her odd rendition of the common phrase. He shoved a hand in his pocket.

"Speaking of which, isn't too much blood supposed to be bad for your brain?" he asked the hyper Ed.

"Nope, nuh-uh, no way no how!" she chattered, shaking her head rhythmically. Spike looked at her, skepticism in his features. He watched as Ed's bright expression began to dim.

"Ohhhhhhhh…" her voice wobbled as she began sliding off the steel rafter. Spike outstretched his arms and caught the falling girl just in time.

"Shit," he quietly exclaimed as her weight caught him off guard. She was still relatively light as a feather, but she proved to be a little heavier than he'd expected. Perhaps it was the falling.

"Ed feels dizzy," she mumbled. He looked down at her deliriously dazed face; the feathery fabric of her skirt gently draped over his shoulder.

"I told you," he smirked, carrying her to the living space.

* * *

Jet sat in the yellow chair, pruning one of his bonsais when Spike came in, carrying the groggy Edward. When he saw them, he sprang to his feet. "Ed? Spike! What happened?" he interrogated sternly.

"Cool your jets, Jet," Spike joked. "She's just been upside-down a little too long." Ed opened her eyes, feeling somewhat rested after the short ride in Spike's stalwart arms.

"Ed's okey-dokey," she said lazily.

"Are you sure?" asked Jet, concerned. Ed smiled.

"Yep yep yep! Fit as a fiddle!" She said as Spike placed her on her feet. As she stood, blinking the colors from her eyelids, she lightly clung to him. He and Jet observed her actions, although Jet seemed worried as opposed to Spike, who was curious, and slightly amazed.

He shook his head. _She's almost as tall as Faye now,_ he thought. He was convinced that her weight wasn't just momentum from falling. Ed pulled away.

"See?" she said attempting to walk as her legs turned to noodles. Jet caught her on his fleshy arm. "Or don't see," she warbled weakly.

"Ok Ed, you're staying right here," Jet gently ordered, laying her onto the yellow couch.

"Aww!" Ed whined in protest. Jet ignored her dissonance.

"Spike, get her some orange juice," he barked. Spike submissively, yet reluctantly, obeyed.

He came back shortly with the next best thing, water. "Spike, I said orange juice!" Jet growled. Spike shrugged.

"There's no more," he said defensively.

"What?" Jet shouted. "I just bought that stuff two days ago!" Spike shrugged again.

"You can blame it on the kid," he said, depositing himself onto the chair. He lit a cigarette to replace the one he'd dropped when he caught the falling child. Jet turned to Ed, who grinned widely at him, emphasizing her sweet innocence.

"So, where's Faye?" asked Spike, after Jet had given Ed the water and calmed down a bit.

"Where does Faye always go when she sneaks off?" Jet answered. Spike nodded. He knew she was probably at the kennel club or the stables, or, depending on the time, at the casino or the pachinko slots. She rarely went anywhere else, unless she was after a small-fry bounty head. Wherever she was, Spike just enjoyed talking about her.

"Why?" Jet asked. "You miss her?" Spike let his boots loudly clunk onto the coffee table.

"Just asking," he said, staring off beyond Jet into the darkness of a far corner.

"I'll tell her you miss her," Jet smiled teasingly over his shoulder at the thin man.

"Miss her! Miss her! Now you gotta kiss her!" chanted Edward. Spike laid his head on the back of the chair, blowing smoke heavenward. He felt his cheeks grow warmer.

"Grow up, Ed," he grumbled through the clouds.

* * *

_**Ha! That Edward really is a trip, isn't she? Cute kid. I like this chapter. It's fun!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc. And Batgirl belongs to Marvel comics. I don't own anything! accept this writing, really. Ha!**_


	15. Acceleration

Faye was bored. She shuffled along the corridors of the ship. There was nothing to do. She had been out having a fairly good time on Venus. All the best casinos were on Venus. She had wined and gambled, and due to having reverted back to her infamous yellow ensemble, had been doted upon by many a strange man who would buy her a drink in the hopes of receiving more than they did, and she had lost and gained, and lost again, a fair amount of money betting on the horses.

As her white boots clicked along the floors of the ship, the Bebop seemed dead. She began to wonder why she'd even bothered to return. Entering the vast space of the ship hangar, she found Spike, in the midst of his Jeet Kun Do practice: the answer to her question.

He had his back to her as he punched, kicked and maneuvered around invisible targets, his shirtless skin glistening with droplets of sweat. Leaning against a wall, Faye watched him work, resting her chin on a delicate hand. She closed her eyes as she listened to his swift movements slice through the atmosphere. She heard his impressively relaxed breathing.

"Where have you been, Romani?" he suddenly asked, still focused on his nonexistent enemy. His deep voice echoed against the tall ceiling of the hangar. Faye didn't start. She'd gotten used to him always knowing when she was sneaking up on him. She was merely waiting for him to acknowledge her presence.

"You have to ask?" she replied. She took a few slow steps toward him. Spike lowered his arms, allowing the phantom foes to disappear.

"Not necessarily." He turned to face her, pulling her by her elbows into a hug. He smiled widely.

"Eeugh! Gross! You're all slimy!" Faye whined, swiftly pulling herself out of his grip. Spike released his laughter as he observed the disgusted look on Faye's face. "Ugh! Stupid lunkhead!" she exclaimed. Spike laughed harder. "I'm covered in Spike sweat," she mumbled to herself, finding a nearby towel and wiping herself off.

"Funny, you didn't seem to mind it all that much last night," Spike smirked, stifling back a snicker. Faye glared at him, deciding to input no comment.

Spike gently took the towel from her and wiped his face and neck with it. Hating to leave her with nothing, he tilted up her chin and planted on her lips a brief, yet sweet kiss. His already large ego had inflated ever since he discovered he could turn her whole mood around with just a kiss. Faye knew of his power, but unfortunately fell victim to it every time. As he turned away, she grabbed the towel in his hand, wearing a soft, sexy smile. Spike chuckled, relinquishing his lips to hers. Faye had a power of her own.

As Faye gently fingered the elastic waistband on Spike's black sweatpants, Jet poked his head into the hangar. He kept his eyes averted, sensing both of them were there.

"Hey, you two, get in here. Ed found us a bounty!" he shouted, vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared. Faye looked toward where the bald head had been.

"What's he got against us?" she asked rhetorically.

"I think it's just you," kidded Spike, releasing his grip on her waist and following Jet to the living quarters.

* * *

The couple arrived in the room to see Ed sitting on the floor with her computer. Jet hovered over her, peeking over her shoulder. Faye strutted into the center of the room, making herself comfortable on the coffee table, followed by Spike, who sunk into the sofa. "Who's this?" Spike asked, glancing at the Tomato monitor. The man on the screen had a round face with deep, dark, almond-shaped eyes, and a mop of thick, shiny black hair that hung loosely over his forehead. Around him floated four smaller portraits of the affiliated bounty heads and their identities.

"His name is Johnathan Gu," Jet patiently stated. "Head of a small group wanted for smuggling large samples of the rare gemstone Alexandrite from old Russia."

"That's a dumb name for a gem," said Faye, looking at Ed's Tomato screen. The lead bounty head was fairly attractive.

"What's in a name?" replied Jet, "as long as it's one of the rarest and most valuable gemstones on planet Earth." Spike whistled low in appreciation. Edward rapidly produced a photo gallery of the rare stone through a search engine, displaying a single picture of a blue-green gem.

"What's so special about it?" asked Faye, examining the picture.

"It changes pretty colors! Woohoo!" explained Ed as she swirled her arms around her. A click showed another gem in a fiery auburn color; another and there was one in a deep raspberry.

"It appears different in different lighting," clarified Jet. "It's partially due to its chemical make-up."

"Haven't they figured out how to duplicate it in a lab or something yet?" asked Spike, propping his stockinged feet onto the coffee table behind Faye. Jet nodded.

"That's what makes the natural ones so much more valuable." He folded his muscled arms theoretically. Spike stood and took a closer look at the images.

"I want one!" said Faye, her emerald eyes glittering again.

"Got 15 million wulongs?" asked Spike, noting the price tag for the average going rate of a gem. Faye looked up into his averted eyes.

"You mean you wouldn't buy one for me?" she smiled.

"Maybe," he said. "But you'd owe me." He looked down at her with a smirk as she glared at him.

Jet, although he hated to admit it, was getting used to this odd banter that sat on the thin line between squabbling and flirtatious. That smirk of Spike's had a habit of bringing him some sort of trouble, good or bad. Jet sometimes imagined that at some point their bickering would end in a steamy fit of passion, and he cringed at the possibility. Though he'd never actually _seen_ them, he had unwillingly been an indirect witness of their escapades. With a frown, he pushed the thought process out of his mind and turned to Ed.

"So, Edward," he said loudly. "Where can we find this guy?" Ed produced a few tappity-taps on her keyboard. After a pause, she tapped again.

"Hmmmmmmm," she hummed an elaborate melody as she continued to type. Finally she stopped. "Ed does not know," she frowned, a slight wobble detectible in her voice.

"Looks like we're back to the old method of asking around," said Spike, lowering himself into the couch again.

"Eh, it won't be so bad," reassured Jet, turning to look at Spike. "We've gotten plenty of bounty heads that way before." Spike rested his head on the back of the sofa, closing his eyes. "And get your sweaty carcass off my couch!" scolded the burly man. Scowling, Spike hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Before we go through all this trouble, how much is this bounty worth?" asked Faye eagerly facing Jet. Ed looked up at the three bounty hunters.

"There's five people in the group at 12 million a pop! That makes sixty milliooooon!" she sang merrily.

"Heh!" Jet laughed. "Looks like we've been having a change in our luck. If these hefty bounties keep showing up, who knows what'll happen!"

"That only works if we catch them, Jet," said Spike sourly. He snatched a pack of cigarettes from the corner of the coffee table and extracted one, lighting it with a lighter he found nearby.

"Pessimist," sneered Jet, swiftly removing the box of cigs from Spike's grasp. Spitefully, Spike leaned back into the couch.

"Sixty million wulongs…" said Faye wistfully.

"That's right, Faye," Spike smiled smoothly. "This one's divisible by four! Isn't math fun?" Faye growled at the fluffy-haired smart-alec.

"Can it, lunkhead!" she shouted in his direction. Spike grinned at her exclamation. Suddenly she whipped her head in the direction of the young hacker. "Ed!"

"Hm?" she responded in surprise.

"Find out anything you can about this guy's whereabouts!" she said, gripping the girl's shoulders and shaking her violently. Ed's head rolled around as if her neck was a noodle.

"Ed tried!" she whined, her head rolling to a stop as her red hair fell over her thin shoulder blades. Faye growled as she shook Ed again. The kid placed her bare feet on Faye's chest, trying to pull away. "Faye-Faye!" she cried. "Edward has an idea!" Faye released her begrudgingly.

"What's your idea, Ed?" asked Jet, growing anxious from Faye's aggressive attitude.

"Yeah! What's your idea, Ed?" shouted Faye. The three adults watched Ed's reaction. Ein, who had been sitting near the girl, promptly jumped up and scampered away. He had been conditioned to a tortured Edward.

"Nighty-night first," she wobbled, falling backwards into her unconscious slumber.

"You little snot!" fumed Faye, clenching her fists. Ed responded with a drowsy groan.

"Nice going," said Spike between drags. Jet made his way to the yellow chair and took a seat. He released a heavy sigh as he lit a cigarette for himself.

"Wha--" started Faye.

"I guess she'll tell us when she's good and ready," said Jet, exhaling a puff of smoke.

* * *

_**Oh my goodness! Could it be**_? _**Yes! It is! PLOT DEVELOPMENT! What you've all been waiting for has finally arrived! I told you this story would have a plot! w00t!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc. The character Johnathan Gu is modeled after a friend of mine. So Stephen, if you're reading this, say hello to your great nephew 67 years into the future!**_

_**And another thing, I'm reposting this chapter because to my knowledge, Mercury has not been colonized. I decided to change it to Venus. Works, right? **_


	16. In The Meantime

The next day, Ed took the liberty of doing a search for anything a jewel thief might be interested in as the Bebop headed toward Earth, the most logical place to begin their search. The team had quite a challenge to face to get a hold on this bounty. During the flight, the crew gained excitement about going after a bounty such as this one. Sixty million wulongs was a lot of money. Even if the money weren't very important, particularly in Ed's opinion, it would be quite an accomplishment to earn so much.

Faye sat peacefully on the stairs of the main room, calmly filing her nails. After smoothing out each nail, she would blow the dust of dead nail particles from both her fingertips and her emery board. Then she'd hold the finger in front of her face, carefully scrutinizing her work. It was a habit of hers. Just something she liked to do to pass the time. Of course, she made sure she didn't do it too often, or there'd be no nails left to file. She smiled at her fingers. She'd have to stop sometime soon, and she was grateful she had other things that could occupy her time.

Just then, she heard clunky footsteps on the steel corridor behind her. She grinned internally, examining the tip of her index finger. Carelessly, she slouched her body to drape horizontally across the stair she was sitting on. She pretended to pay no mind as a pair of long, thin legs jumped over her smooth dainty ones. "Faye," acknowledged the voice from the top of the lean body. Faye glanced up shortly at his retreating form; his shoulders were slightly hunched as his hands were shoved into his pockets, just like always.

"Spike," she replied, returning her eyes to her nails as Spike disappeared into the kitchen. Leaning her head back onto the pipe-like rail that supported her back, she sighed. _I'm bored,_ she thought. She sat forward on the stair again, resting her chin on the heel of a hand of freshly manicured fingernails that lightly poked at her cheek. For a minute, she thought of hopping aboard the Redtail before she realized she wasn't dressed. Pajamas wouldn't do for an outing. She then heard the clickity-click of little canine feet as Ein walked past her, curiously sniffing the floor as he passed. As the little dog came closer, Faye thought of doing something cruel to the pup. Unfortunately, she lacked the motivation at the moment. She only growled back at him when she heard a little grumble emerge from his fluffy trunk. Ein left, not liking the evil woman's company. Faye was once again left to her own boring devices. As she leaned back and rested her elbows on the stair behind her, Spike reentered. She listened as he made his way to the yellow couch with a cup of instant ramen. She rolled her head to glance over as he propped his boots on the coffee table. Her head dropped in aggravation onto the next step as the sound she then heard was the flipping of magazine pages and not his voice.

Spike peered over his shoulder at the raven-haired grouch when he heard her head plop onto the metal step. "What's with you?" he asked her, a cluster of noodles hanging from his chopsticks. Faye released a dramatically emphasized sigh, heaving her chest in the process.

"I'm bored, Spike," she replied wearily.

"Oh," he said simply. Faye waited for him to go on, but he didn't. This angered her. She stood up and marched toward the couch. Plopping down on the coffee table in front of Spike, she sighed again loudly. Spike quietly slurped his noodles, keeping his eyes on the book in his lap. Faye lay on her side along the length of the table, facing away from him as she strategically shaped herself around his boots. She sighed. Suddenly she flung her arm over behind her, making her upper body lie flat. Strategically she arched her back to heighten her breasts a little.

"Oh Spike, it's so boring here!" she whined, her voice was almost erotic in nature. Spike raised an eyebrow as he glanced over the beautiful, seductively twisted body that lay before him. He gulped down another mouthful of ramen.

"You could always read," he answered.

"Ugh!" groaned Faye. She rolled over on the table, her hair falling over her shimmering eyes and her arms drooping lifelessly to the floor. Spike smiled. He loved it when Faye tried to seduce him. It was even more fun to watch when he resisted her, which was something she was still getting used to, since Spike resisted like no other man could.

Without warning, Faye sat up on her heels on the table. She flung her head back, violet hair swirling out of her eyes as she glared at Spike. The look in her eyes startled him. Standing over him, she began groping and grabbing at him. She kneeled over him, shoving her hands into his pockets. Spike chuckled as her hands tickled him. "Hey, not now Faye. I'm eating!" he laughed as her hands grazed his lower abdominal muscles.

"Don't flatter yourself, Spiegel," she growled, extracting from his pockets his pack of cigarettes and his lighter. He stared at her with a blank look of contentment.

"And here I thought you couldn't get enough of me," he teased. Sitting back on the table, Faye ignored his remark and lit a stick for herself and threw down the pack next to her. She relaxed, crossing her legs. Spike subtly watched as she gently placed the filter between her lips. She didn't smoke half as much as he and Jet did, so watching her felt like a treat. He pretended not to notice the way her lips puckered as she blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Ya know, Spike," she said to him through a sideways glance, giving him the welcome excuse to focus on her. "Sometimes you're no fun." Spike smirked. He found her so much more alluring when she wasn't trying to be.

"I can't say the same for you, Faye Valentine," he responded. "You can be hilarious." He drew his chopsticks up to his mouth to load it with the last of his noodles. Faye carefully eyed him, taking his left-handed compliment with a grain of salt.

"Lunkhead," she said with a snarl, turning her petite nose up as she blew out more cobalt smoke. Spike swallowed down his food as he watched her.

"Why don't you ever sit on the couch?" asked Spike, after a long pause. He put down his cup-o-noodles as Faye gave him a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about? I sit on the couch all the time," said Faye.

"Even when we're not necking?" grinned Spike. Faye scowled. "It's always the stairs, the coffee table or the chair." His expression softened as he spoke.

"I dunno," Faye replied. "Maybe it's because your long, lanky ass is always hogging the whole thing, and then some!" Spike chuckled. To a certain extent, she was right.

"I'm not hogging it now," he said in a soft voice.

"No, you're not," replied Faye, shaking her head and dragging from her cigarette again. Spike removed one of his feet from the coffee table.

"Care to join me?" he asked. Faye smiled at him, extinguishing her butt in the nearby ashtray.

"You want me to join you?" she replied, standing before him.

"Sure. Why not?" smiled Spike. He brought down his other foot. Faye returned his smile as her knees pushed into the cushions on either side of his hips. She placed her forehead against his.

"You want me to join you, huh?" she repeated. Spike slowly nodded as he felt her hair graze his cheeks. Faye let a hand drop to clumsily fumble with the button and zipper of his pants. Her face buried itself in the crook of his neck as she kissed the soft skin there. Spike's lips parted as he felt Faye skillfully handling his manhood. He ran his fingertips up her thighs to the hem of her short, blue shorts.

"Mmm," he hummed in satisfaction as her lips locked onto his. Slowly, she pulled away, and looked at him with a quizzical expression.

"Are you sure it's ok to have sex this soon after eating?" she smirked, seconds before swiftly dismounting him. He looked up at her, sadly acknowledging the rhetorical question. Whether or not it was, she left him speechless. With an arrogant air, Faye strutted away from him and up the stairs. Spike looked down into his lap: his aroused shaft stood erect and prepared... and neglected.

"Shit," he mumbled as he pondered his current state. _She got me,_ he thought.

* * *

**_And we're back to the non-action. Don't worry! Things will pick up soon! Another interlude just happened to write itself. Adventure will come soon enough! Maybe I'm not so good at action. I need to get to another lemon part soon. I'm out of my element. I'd love to hear what you guys think! Please read and review! I miss the feedback. Ciao!_**

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc.**_


	17. On the Way

Edward lay asleep under the dashboard of the Bebop's cockpit, not far from where Jet's large boots sat. From time to time, Jet would peer down at her. _That kid can sleep anywhere,_ he thought. He watched her sleep every once in a while as the Bebop drifted toward the surface or Earth, noting the comfort she found in her fetal position. She wore a pair of black leggings along with a white, off-the-shoulder tunic tee. It was like a redefinition of her old outfit, but with a late twentieth century flair. Her tomato sat nestled beside her head as she dozed. Both figures rested peacefully until the compact computer began to beep frantically.

Jet started as he looked around the room. Ed slowly blinked her eyes open, taking note of her calling computer.

"Whatcha got there, Ed?" asked Jet as the girl stared blankly at her computer. Drowsily, she stopped the alarm by pressing a button with her big toe. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. As she read the information displayed on her monitor, her face brightened.

"Ha ha! Peek-a-boo, Ed sees you!" she sang at her computer. Jet looked optimistic, although he still wasn't sure what she'd discovered. "Ed did research on Johnathan Gu and found the registered number of his space craft. I'm picking up a signal on the radar!" she said cheerfully.

"Great!" said Jet as he stood from his chair. "I'll go alert the others."

"I wanna do it!" said Ed with a grin. She leapt up and grabbed a hold of Jet's anatomic arm, pressing her cheek into his firm muscles. Jet stood still for a moment, hesitatingly peering into the pair of sunny eyes.

"Do you know where they are, Ed?" he asked. He assumed Spike and Faye had some will power, but as of late he tended to underestimate its strength. His concern for the purity of Ed's childish ways overtook him.

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Ed _knows_, Papa Jet!" she replied. She may have been a little unorthodox, but Edward was certainly no fool. She knew exactly why Papa Jet was being so hesitant, and she wished he could lighten up a bit. Jet rubbed his bare head with his free hand, the cool metal somewhat calming him.

"Uh, it's alright, Ed. I'll go." Ed frowned.

"Awww!" she cried.

"You can… man the ship. You're good at that, right?" Jet bribed. He trusted Ed with piloting the ship, although it took what felt like an eternity for her to gain that trust. Although, her skill was what got her onto the Bebop in the first place, wasn't it? Of course it didn't hurt that Ed loved to have control of the ship, however rare the occasion.

"Ooooh! Yay!" laughed Ed as she hopped into the chair the man had recently occupied. Her eyes glittered as she looked over the vast array of buttons and control panels. They were interesting to look at, but Ed still had more fun piloting the Bebop via remote control.

Jet quietly slipped out of the cockpit as the child became absorbed in her new task. Perhaps Ed could stay innocent for a little while longer.

* * *

Jet followed his ears into the hangar of the ship. He'd heard the clanking of mechanisms and ship repairs. He felt sort of a relief when he found Spike absorbed in maintenance of the Swordfish II. He walked up to the streamline star craft, where Spike was immersed in its engine. Before he spoke, he heard the light tinkling of metal on metal. "Shit!" echoed Spike's voice from inside the mono racer. Jet rested his head in his mechanical hand, silently chuckling to himself.

"Need a hand?" he called up to the thin bounty hunter.

"Not unless that arm of yours has a built-in magnet," Spike replied sourly. He jumped down from the Swordfish, feeling frustrated. "What is it?" he asked the brawny man, suspecting he'd come to deliver some new information.

"Good news," Jet replied. "Ed tracked down Gu's ship. It's showing up on her radar screen." As Jet spoke he managed to keep his gruff expression, in spite of the satisfactory report. Spike listened as he wiped his blackened hands on a rag. His old, white t-shirt was hopelessly smeared with grease.

"Guess it's go time," he calmly replied, tossing the rag onto his shoulder.

"Yup," answered Jet. He ventured to look up at his comrade. "Where's Faye?" he asked innocently. Spike shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "Probably somewhere around here." He gathered up his tools, vaguely wondering where she could be. Just then, he remembered the nut he'd dropped earlier. He climbed back onto the engine of the ship and peered inside. Jet, with years of experience fixing up the Swordfish for his partner, moved to the underside of the spacecraft. Popping open that one small compartment that Spike often tended to overlook, he caught the nuisance nut that had fallen through the workings.

"Looking for this?" he called up to Spike, holding in his outstretched arm the missing piece. Spike looked over his shoulder at the troublesome bit of metal in Jet's hand. He jumped back down and gingerly took the part.

"I knew you had a magnet in there somewhere," he quipped. Jet chuckled as he left the hangar.

"Go get ready, wouldja?" he called back over his shoulder.

* * *

Faye stood in the bathroom towel-drying her hair. She inhaled the fresh scent of her feminine body wash as it permeated on hot water vapors. After she finished wrapping her hair neatly into a towel turban, she folded her terrycloth robe around her body tightly and tied the sash. Giving herself one more glance in the foggy mirror, she turned to open the door.

When she stepped outside, she was greeted by the bare chest of none other than the greasy Spike. Not surprised, she looked up into his chestnut eyes. "Decided not to follow me in this time?" she smirked. Spike chuckled.

"I have more things to do than just you, Faye," he quipped with a grin. He inhaled her flowery, fruity scent as it wafted around her on clouds of steam and fog. "Any hot water left?" he smiled.

"See for yourself," replied Faye. She softly reached a hand up toward his face, only to remove a smudge of oil on his cheek. He watched her fingers from the corner of his left eye, the good one. Like a kid whose mother was cleaning his cheek with a dab of saliva in front of the guys, Spike grimaced. Gently he wrapped his long fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"Ed found us a lead," he said, casually working the factoid into the conversation.

"Already?" asked Faye in surprise. "Huh. The kid's good," she said somewhat to herself.

"Not as good as you," crooned Spike. He stepped closer to her, lightly gripping her hips. His lips hovered just above her ear. Faye smiled.

"You smell like fuel," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I thought you'd find it sexy," he joked. Faye laughed, rubbing the smear of grease on her fingers into the front of the towel wrapped around Spike's waist.

"Freshen up, grease monkey. Then we'll talk" she smiled, slipping out of his grip once again.

Spike watched her strut away, curious as to whether or not that mystifying walk was an act. _It _has_ to be_, he thought. _She _must _know what she's doing to those poor saps out there. _He pondered, mentally disclaiming the feeling. He took a calming breath as he stepped in, closing the bathroom door behind him. _I kinda wish she had used all the hot water._

* * *

**_Well, Happy Thanksgiving, all! We're getting closer and closer to the plot! I hope everyone's turkey dinner turns out to be a wonderful and delicious experience! For desert, enjoy your apple or pumpkin pie, with a great big helping of homemade Cowboy Bebop fan fiction on the side! Enjoy the story and don't forget to send me season's greetings with your opinions! Reviews are always appreciated! Gobble Gobble!_**

**_Cowboy Bebop is property of Sunrise Inc. _**


	18. Excitement For Edward!

The landing coordinates were all set as Ed took full advantage of her piloting duties. As the ship coasted to an easy landing, the girl pilot applauded herself. She looked down at Ein as he sat next to her chair. "Heehee! We did it, Ein!" she cheered. Ein barked with glee for the child. She turned back toward the windshield, gasping at the view. "Look, Ein!" she said, picking up the Welsh Corgi. "The world is white!"

* * *

Faye emerged from her quarters dressed, clean and refreshed. She turned as she heard Jet's footsteps coming down the corridor. "There, you are, Faye!" he said.

"Here I am," she replied. Ignoring her attitude, Jet spoke again.

"Did Spike tell you?" he asked simply.

"The kid found us a lead? Yup, I know," she smiled. Jet looked her over with a cocked eyebrow.

"You might wanna change your outfit," he ventured.

"What?" she shouted. "It's a knee-length dress!" she looked down at her clothes. She sported an elegant, black wrap dress with short, cuffed sleeves and a thick, red, banded sash. "You're never going to_ approve_ of my clothes, are you?" A pair of black pumps clicked loudly on the cold, metal floor. "I guess you won't be satisfied unless you see me in a habit or something!" Her red headband glimmered in the harsh light. "Do I look like a nun to you?!" she angrily shouted, aggressively jutting out her hip.

"Faye, it's the middle of November in Russia. It's 28 degrees outside," Jet calmly spoke. Faye paused, her expression changing to one of regret and embarrassment.

"… I'll get my coat," she said meekly disappearing into her room again.

"You do that," answered Jet before her door closed.

Just then, Spike meandered down the hallway past the exasperated Jet. He wore dark denim jeans and his faded red down coat. "Are we ready to go yet?" he asked as he slowly sauntered along.

"Waiting for Faye," Jet replied, rubbing his bald head with his mechanical hand. He shifted his weight and fingered the sleeve of his thick, brown suede coat. He turned and followed Spike out of the corridor. "Let's go find Ed," he called after him.

As Jet and Spike appeared in the cockpit, they found Ed, absently gazing through the windshield. When she heard their footsteps she turned to look at Jet with an enchanted smile on her face. "Papa Jet!" she shouted, leaping into his arms. The whole world is pretty and sparkly and white!" she grinned, stretching her arm toward the window. Just then, she realized she couldn't feel the flesh or the metal of Jet's arms. "Hey, how come Papa Jet and Spike-person are all warm and squishy?" Jet looked puzzled.

"You've never seen snow before, Ed?"

"Snow?" Her nose scrunched up at the question. She watched carefully as a small gust of wind blew speckles of white across the windshield. Spike removed his puffy coat and threw it over the back of the chair Ed had just leapt from.

"Yup," he said to Ed. He followed the coat into the chair. "Snow's cold. Where were you that time we landed on Callisto?" he said. Ed stared blankly.

"You can even feel the cold air seeping into the ship a little," explained Jet. Ed jumped from his arms, much to his relief, and rushed to the window again.

"Awesome!" she laughed as she watched the snowflakes dance before her eyes. "Pretty, pretty snow!" she sang. Ein had gone back to sleeping under the control panel.

Just then, Faye entered the room. "Ugh, great. It's snowing," she mumbled as she looked out the window. She was now dressed in a deep teal turtleneck sweater and a pair of black, slim-fit jeans. In the belt loops sat an ornate, white leather belt. Grey tweed boots came up to her knees. As she hugged her lambskin aviator coat in her arms, she was grateful Jet had given her a heads up instead of letting her discover the weather the hard way.

"Yup," said Spike, lighting a cigarette. Faye stepped up to where the rest of the crew was gathered and made herself comfortable in the other cushy pilot's chair.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" she asked Jet. Tapping a few buttons on the control panel, Jet produced an image of the targeted ship.

"This is it," he stated. Gu's star ship was a similar model to the Swordfish II, but it had a much larger, domed cockpit. Over all, the shape was bubblier. The paint job was black, with white lettering on each wing.

"The ship of Johnathan Gu!" shouted Ed happily as she looked at Jet's computer screen. "Serial number 04191501!" Her cheerful recitation was almost enough to make Faye memorize the number. She repeated it in her head although there was little chance she'd need it.

"But it's not like we can just get in, get the bounty heads and get out," she said, breaking her mental mantra. Her voice was painted with attitude. Spike exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"Smuggling bounties are never that easy," he stated coolly, crossing his right ankle over his left knee.

"Mm," Jet nodded. "He might have disguised his ship. And even if he didn't, he's probably not even there."

"A good old-fashioned trick," smirked Spike around the cigarette butt. Ed tapped away on the keys of the main computer.

"According to Earth's satellite GPS system, the ship looks the same," she announced.

"He may not even be in it," speculated Jet. "Could be a decoy pilot."

"So what's the point of even finding this ship?" asked Faye, crossing her legs professionally.

"Clues," said Jet simply. He rested his chin in his metal hand as Faye nodded. "Anything we find on or around that ship might just give us a proper lead to finding this bounty, be it a person or a thing." Faye sighed sadly. "Then again, it could be a ship he used to own and was abandoned there," Jet continued.

"You don't usually make bounty hunting sound this awful, Jet," Spike said, looking up at his comrade.

"Tomato radar says that the ship was in motion less than an hour ago," said Ed.

"How do you know?" asked Faye.

"Because that's when the ship was moving. We were following it! Hey, black ship, wait for us, wait for Ed! But it's not running anymore." Edward's cheerfulness seemed to severely outshine all of the doubt placed into the crew's heads by Jet's many hypotheses.

"So it's settled then," said Spike, placing both boots on the floor. "We get to that ship and find out what we can."

"We should go as a group," added Jet, "in case something happens. If not, we can split up and look for leads that way."

"We flyin'?" Spike asked. According to the information displayed on the screen, the bounty's ship was only about a mile away.

"I'd hope so," said Faye. "I am not walking all the way out there."

"Faye's right," agreed Jet. "It'd be bad if we made it all the way to that ship and were too tired from walking to do anything else."

"Let's do it!" Faye chirped with energy. "See you boys later!" She confidently strode from the room.

"Right behind you," said Spike, following her out. Jet paused as he turned to follow them.

"Stay here, alright Ed?" he told the hacker. He watched her face scrunch with disappointment as though it hurt him. "We'll be back soon," he added, trying to make her feel better. As he left the room, Edward put her knees into a cushy chair and leaned over the back, watching him go.

"Ed always has to stay here," she said to Ein, stirring him from his doggie nap. He looked up at her inquiringly. Ed flopped down into the chair and picked the dog up, placing him in her lap. "What do you think we should do?" she asked him, smiling again. She put her face close to his.

Ein whimpered his reply.

"You think we should go on our own adventure!?" Ed asked cheerfully.

Ein barked in exclamation.

"Yeah!" said Ed with glee. "We'll show the others that we're more than just super genius hackers! We're bounty hunters too!" she laughed and hugged Ein as she saw the Swordfish II, the Redtail and the Hammerhead zip away toward the horizon. She gently put Ein down at her feet and flew out of the cockpit. The little dog scuttled after her.

"Adventure away!"

* * *

_**Voila! It is my latest, soon-to-be-action-packed chapter! I would have had it posted yesterday, but something was going on with the site. But nevertheless I succeeded in the long run! Stay tuned!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc. 1998. **_


	19. Talking to Strangers

And so, Edward set forth on her journey on the vast, cold country of Russia. She zoomed away from the ship on her scooter with Ein, along with her computer, in a messenger bag on her shoulder. Following the example of the other bounty hunters, she did her best to bundle up. She had decided to change into her lavender skirt, which was quickly becoming her favorite item of clothing. She threw a lightweight, goldenrod cable knit sweater over her white tee and made use of her old green cape she'd worn for Halloween a few years ago by tossing it over her shoulders as a shawl. She never liked to wear shoes, but during her shopping trip, Faye had insisted she at least buy some cute sandals and flats. She put on a pair of black ballet flats, and, to be warmer, she borrowed a pair of Spike's socks.

As her motor scooter zipped over the packed snow, she pulled her goggles over her eyes to block the wind. "Let's find a bounty!" she called merrily to Ein.

He barked in response before snuggling down further into the bag.

* * *

"How do you guys wanna do this?" asked Spike over his comm. to his partners.

"Let's land a little ways east of the craft," answered Jet. "We'll walk the rest of the way."

"10-4" Spike replied.

"Walk, walk, walk! Is that all you boys ever do?" Faye whined over the line.

"Looks like her majesty doesn't feel like walking," teased Spike.

"No skin off my nose," said Jet coolly. "If she gets tired, I'm not the one who's going to carry her."

"Thanks for your concern, Jet," said Faye.

"No problem, your highness," Jet quipped. Spike laughed to himself as the three ships coasted to a landing not far from each other.

* * *

Ed and Ein kept on sliding along the snow. It had been a little over fifteen minutes, and Ed was starting to get really cold. She didn't really have adequate clothing to be out in 30 degree weather. The wind that plummeted toward her as she flew by harshly stung at her face. It wasn't long before she felt the need to stop and rest. Sitting down on her scooter, she turned to the little dog in her bag. "Are you getting cold, Ein?" she asked as she snuggled Ein's warm fur against her cheek.

Ein whined in the affirmative. Although he usually was fine in chilly weather, he wasn't used to being in the snow, and fur could only do so much.

"Let's just take an itty bitty break," she said through chattering teeth. She watched with amusement as the dog pulled his head into the messenger bag. Tucking as much of her cold limbs under her green cape as she could, Edward closed her eyes.

It was only a few minutes later when Ed heard the crunching of thick boots approach her in the snow, although it felt like over an hour. Ed looked up at what she heard, her green goggles protecting her eyes from the wind. She was almost afraid it would be Jet coming to heroically scoop her up and give her a firm scolding. But it wasn't Jet. It wasn't Spike, nor was it Faye.

"Tebye holodno?" came a friendly voice from above.

"Huh?" Ed said, puzzled. She didn't recognize this new language. "Ed does not understand."

"Heh, sorry," laughed the young boy standing before her. "You look pretty cold," Ed's cheerful nature prevented her from doing anything but smiling in response to the sound of a friendly voice. She nodded as the gloved hand of the boy reached out to her.

"Really cold!" she said, taking his hand. As she stood, she saw him better. He certainly looked very warm in his wool-trimmed, deep brown leather coat, olive green corduroys and thick snow boots. Her eye level was just about to the boy's nose. She looked up to see a woolen hat with dangling earflaps atop his head. Ed couldn't help but admit to herself that this boy was pretty cute, further prompting her smile. The boy smiled back.

"My name's Nikolai," he said. What's your name?" Ed straightened herself upright as tall as she could. She loved introductions.

"My name is Edward Wong Hau Pepilew Tivrusky IV!" Ed proudly announced, firmly outstretching her icy hand for an introductory handshake.

"Boje moy! There's a mouthful," Nikolai smiled, awkwardly shaking her hand.

"Edward named herself!" giggled Ed, returning his smile.

"That's pretty unique, Edward," Nikolai replied. "Hey. If you made it up, how can you be the fourth?" he asked.

"That's what Spike-person says!" Edward laughed.

"Spike-person? Who's that?" Nikolai asked.

"Spike-person is my friend," she replied with a grin. "So are Papa Jet and Faye-Faye! Ed gets to travel to all corners of the galaxy with them on our ship the Bebop!"

Nikolai listened with wonder and slight skepticism. As she spoke, he noticed something shuffling around inside her bag. "Oh! Ed almost forgot!" She reached into her bag and pulled out little Ein. "Nikolai," she said carefully, pronouncing it just the way he had. "Meet Ein!"

"Oh! Hi there! How are you, Ein?" he asked the dog.

Ein barked a not-too-happy bark, but he was still vaguely pleased to make Nikolai's acquaintance. He was, after all, still a little chilly.

Nikolai began to feel more relaxed. Meeting this strange girl's dog was cheerful and welcoming. It had somehow erased his feelings of skepticism by verifying her credibility. As he gently petted Ein's soft head, he looked at Ed again.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Yup! You sure can. Ask away! Ask Ed anything!"

"Does Edward always talk in the third person?" he smirked. Edward couldn't resist melting at the sight of his warm face.

"N-not always. Sometimes Ed— sometimes I talk in first person," she stammered carefully. Her forever-reddened cheeks seemed to grow even rosier. Nikolai laughed warmly at Ed's reaction.

"Just wondering," he replied. "No one ever gets to use third person unless they're talking _about_ someone. Then the subject doesn't even get to hear it. I guess it's kinda refreshing."

"Ed thinks it's fun!" smiled the girl. She'd never really thought about third person usage in that light. Nikolai nodded, giving Ein another pat. As he leaned closer to the dog, he noticed the faint sound of Ed's teeth chattering. As the girl pressed Ein's sandy fur to her cheek, Nikolai smiled as he unbuttoned his coat.

"Nikolai…?" questioned Ed slowly as she felt the thick, warm fabric engulf her.

"You need it more than me right now" he said as he wrapped the coat over Ed's shoulders. He tugged at the sleeves on his thick, camel-colored sweater and straightened out the green vest he wore under the coat.

"But aren't you cold now?" asked Ed helplessly. Nikolai shook his head.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I have layers," he smiled. "You want some hot cocoa?" he asked. Ed's golden eyes glittered at the suggestion.

"Mmm!" she said cheerfully. "That sounds okey-dokey!"

* * *

**_Ed's adventure begins! How exciting! My new character, Nikolai, is Russian (as can be assumed). The words in Russian have been translated by a good friend of mine who speaks fluent Russian. (She was born there). If anyone else out there speaks Russian and notice I've made any mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'll fix them ASAP! Squeee!_**

**_The oroginal characters from Cowboy Bebop are property of Sunrise Inc. (Original, excluding Nikolai. He's mine. )_**


	20. Target

Spike, Jet and Faye carefully approached the ship with the serial number 04191501. "Well, here we are," said Jet, glancing up at the ship.

"It's pretty big," Faye speculated. Although the ship perished in comparison to the Bebop, it was still much bigger than the Swordfish.

"Probably just big enough for Gu and his cohorts," said Spike, crunching a dead cigarette into the snow under his boot.

"Cohorts?" asked Faye, with a raised eyebrow. She crossed her arms as she looked in his direction.

"…Yeah," Spike answered, as if it were most obvious. He noticed Faye's critical stare. "What?"

"You are such a cowboy," Faye scoffed. Spike grimaced quizzically at the woman as she tossed her violet hair.

"Country western vocab aside, the ship looks pretty deserted right now," interrupted Jet, stepping toward the star craft.

"The kid said it was occupied not long ago," Faye said, gingerly walking around the ship.

"That's true," Jet replied. Just then, he looked up to see Spike climbing on top of the aircraft. "Spike!" Jet shouted. "What the hell are you doing?" Spike looked down at the others over his broad shoulder.

"Getting a look inside," he replied simply. He dusted snow off the windshield and peeked inside, blocking glares and reflections with his hands cupped around his eyes.

"Well?" came Faye's voice. "Do you see anything?"

"This ship has more than just a multi-passenger cockpit," he said. He stood on the hood of the craft, drawing his Jericho. "There's a cargo hold back there too." As he aimed the barrel at the lock that closed the cockpit door, he was suddenly hit in the back of the neck with something hard and cold.

A mini explosion of white popped into Spike's peripheral vision. Startled, he tumbled from the ship and landed with a thud on his back. He scrambled to his feet, frantically dusting snow from his shoulders, and turned to face Faye.

"Shit, Faye! What was that all about?" he cursed.

"Don't do that, Lunkhead," she said, calmly ridding her damp gloves of snow.

"I know you like to start fights, but since when did they involve snowballs?" said Spike angrily. Faye smiled.

"Since I got some snow," she replied haughtily. Jet stood idly by while the two other bounty hunters bickered. He rested his face in his warm hand.

"I thought you liked shooting in doors," Spike said in exasperation.

"I do," Faye replied. "But what for?" She gave a knowing smile. Spike furrowed his eyebrows as Faye turned to Jet, who had found something nearby. Spike's eyes followed hers and landed on a wide trail.

"Looks like we got us some footprints," said Jet when the others finally settled down. Spike rolled his eyes.

"A trail of footprints," he moaned. "How ridiculous is this going to get?"

"Well, it's snow," Faye said, placing a fist on her hip. "Did you expect them to jump out of the ship and fly away?"

"That would have been nice," he sardoned, scratching his scalp with the barrel of his gun.

"If we wanna catch these guys, I suggest we move out now," said Jet. "Pretty soon the snow will cover the tracks." He held out a hand and caught a few gently falling snowflakes. "The trail's already starting to fade." Faye looked up at the sky, blinking away the snowflakes that landed on her eyelashes. She motioned to follow Jet. Spike stayed where he was.

Jet turned around to see him strolling around the perimeter of the ship.

"You coming, Spike?" he asked, peering back over the fluffy trim on his coat. Spike didn't turn to look at him.

"In a sec," he mumbled, taking aim. Jet pushed back his furry hat to rub his smooth head. Faye watched curiously.

Two shots rang out, echoing against the snow. One bullet ricocheted off of the sturdy structure of the ship and the other imbedded itself in the thinner metal. Spike lowered his gun as the three of them watched and waited for a result. Almost immediately they heard hurried shuffling and clanking from inside the ship. The door to the cockpit flew open and a confused man popped out. Looking around, he spotted the three bounty hunters, who knew his face. _Cohort number one,_ Spike thought. _Henry Clemmons._

"Hey! What's the big idea, blowing holes in this ship?" he cried helplessly. Wrapped up in a puffy green coat he looked rather small. His short, blonde hair was ruffled to its extent and a dark blonde goatee stood out on his chin. He looked at the trio of bounty hunters as they stared accusingly at him.

"We just wanted to talk," said Spike. He gave the man a disarming smile. As the man began to relax, his eyes traveled Spike's length and stopped on the Jericho that dangled loosely at his side. Stiffening, he reached for the button to close the door again. Spike leapt up onto the ship, barely making it inside before the door came to a close.

"Ugh!" shouted Faye from outside. "I hate it when he does that," she said, leaning against the ship's landing gear.

"You'll get your turn," said Jet. His words seemed to make her angrier, but then again he wasn't particularly trying to cheer her up anyway.

In the cockpit, Spike stood facing the man on the ship. The man wasn't exactly fearless, but he showed a resistant air.

"I take it you know Johnathan Gu, or are you just hi-jacking this thing?" Spike said calmly. The man crossed his arms over his chest.

"What about him?" he asked, nonchalantly. He grew a little more aware as Spike stepped threateningly close.

"Where is he? Where'd he go?" Spike asked, his voice still calm.

"That way," he replied, pointing to his left. "Just follow the footprints." The man removed his fearful countenance as he answered him. Spike grew impatient.

"Yeah, no shit," he growled. "Where do those footprints lead?" The man turned his head to the side, deciding not to answer. "Tell me!" Spike shouted, gripping the collar of the man's coat. The unarmed man's eyes widened as he was jerked forward by his neck.

"Wh-what if I d-don't wanna tell you?" he stammered nervously. Spike lifted his Jericho to the guy's head, pressing its cold metal barrel to his temple.

"Get it?" he smirked. The man shuddered as Spike's unyielding eyes blazed angrily into his. He looked down at the fist clamped around his collar.

"There's a town -- that way -- west," he pointed weakly in the same direction. "They're probably on their way to a bar or something, I think," he finished with fright.

"They?" smirked Spike, stiffly maintaining his stance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Faye and Jet loitered around the ship. "Does he do this a lot?" Faye asked as she refrained from sitting down in the cold frost.

"Yup," Jet replied. "One-on-one tends to get more out of 'em. You should know that by now," he smirked. He stood adjusting the glove over his metal hand.

"There's nothing to find out whenever you send me on a chase with him," Faye answered. "You and Ed usually have all the info we need." As she looked up at Jet, he was still, wearing a distant expression. She glared at him as she finally processed his double entendre.

Just then, Spike jumped down from the ship. "I got what we need," he said, as cool as ever. Faye looked at him and noticed a few splatters of blood speckling his cheeks.

"Spike," she said, eyeing his face. "You didn't just kill that guy, did you?" Spike sighed.

"No, Faye, I did not waste 12 million wulongs," he answered with mock reassurance. He kneeled down and cleaned his face with a handful of snow. "Greedy bitch," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" she shouted, kicking him over into a heap in the snow.

"Of course you did," he grumbled, feeling the throbbing pain Faye left in his arm.

"So, what'd you do with him?" asked Jet. "The usual?" Spike rolled onto his back.

"Yeah, roughed him up a bit and cuffed him to something," he replied. "That way, he can't warn the rest of 'em." He slowly stood, brushing snow from his shoulders.

"You mean the 'cohorts'?" Faye teased. Spike ignored her comment.

"Well," said Jet. "We better get going then if we want to catch these guys. Let's go." He walked off toward the ships as Spike and Faye trailed behind him.

* * *

_**Hello there! Here's another update to the story! I meant to update on Sunday in honor of Jet's birthday, but I was a little behind. Heh! Happy belated birthday, Jet Black! Woot!**_


	21. House Guest

Nikolai lead Edward and Ein to the small town where he lived. After meeting this poor, cold, strange girl and her dog lost and alone in the snow, he figured the best thing to do would be to show her a little hospitality. He did wonder about her. She was quite curious in her ways. As she shoved her cold hands into the pockets of Nikolai's cozy coat, she talked his ear off with story after fascinating story. She certainly was an amusing girl.

"How far away is Nikolai's home?" Ed asked as they entered the borders of the town.

"Not too far from here," he smiled, keeping an arm around her shoulders. The other he used to carry Ed's folded scooter at his side. Ed pulled her messenger bag in front of her, hugging it to her chest as Ein's fur grazed her chin. She shuddered as a strong gust of wind seemed to blow right through her. Feeling Ed shiver, Nikolai hugged her, trying to give her warmth. "We're almost there," he assured. Ed's eyes glittered when at last they approached a series of metal domes; a small residential area. Nikolai opened a snow-veiled dome and then within, a large hatch out of the ground.

Frigid air rushed past them, carrying clusters of snow on its currents, as they finally descended into the threshold of Nikolai's house. Ed lifted her goggles from her eyes as a warm, homey atmosphere engulfed her. From the outside, the house had been, quite literally, a hole in the ground, but inside it was plush and lavish.

"Maate," Nikolai called out, releasing Ed and closing the door against the wind. "Ya doma!" He neatly leaned Ed's scooter against the wall before kicking off his boots near the entrance, revealing his thick, cozy socks. He hung his hat on the coat rack mounted on the wall nearby. Ed watched him set everything in order, seeing, for the first time, his thick, brown hair. In texture, it reminded her of Spike's. Nikolai seemed not to care that his hat had left his hair wild and unruly. Sighing, he turned around, his glance falling on Ed, who stared at him admiringly. He stared back momentarily. He had never seen those golden eyes before, hidden behind those green computing goggles.

"What does that mean?" Ed asked cheerfully.

"Just lettin' them know I'm home," he replied. As if snapping out of a reverie, Ed skipped toward the mounted coat rack and removed Nikolai's coat, placing it carefully on the hook below his hat. Following his lead, she hung her green shawl next to it, and kicked off her ballet flats next to his boots. She took Ein out of her pouch and placed him on the floor, letting him waddle away as she hung the bag on the next hook. Returning to Nikolai's side, she smiled up at him. She beamed as he laughed in flattered amusement.

Just then, the two of them heard light footsteps coming up a staircase across the bright room. Ed beheld a middle-aged woman with brown, wavy hair that was fixed up into a bun. A few strands hung loose and fell about her shoulders. Edward smiled. The woman was quite lovely. As she ascended the stairs, she wiped her hands on a small rag. Looking up at the two youths, she became immediately engaged with meeting the new company.

"Nikolai," she said, smiling at Edward. "Kto eta devochka?" Nikolai smiled, gesturing to Ed, who smiled in spite of her lack of understanding.

"Maate," he said. "This is Edward. She's a new friend of mine." He turned to Ed. "Ed, this is my mom."

"Hello!" said Ed.

"Edward!" exclaimed Nikolai's mother. "Such a strange name for a girl, isn't it?" Ed giggled lightheartedly as Nikolai nervously ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Maate," he moaned in slight embarrassment.

"I gave myself that name," Ed said, deciding to be more formal in terms of her grammar. "Edward Wong Hau Pepilew Tivrusky IV, but you can call me Ed! Ed is pleased to meet you, ma'am!" Ed gave a deep curtsey, realizing her grammatical slip.

"Aww!" the woman replied. "Kakaya haroshaya!" she said, clasping her hands beside her cheek. "I am Aleksandra Mussorgsky, but you can call me Sasha," she smiled at the young redhead.

"Sasha," Ed repeated, as if rehearsing the word. Looking down, she spotted Ein standing idly at her feet. "Oh, and this is Ein!" she said, picking up the dog and cradling him in her arms. Sasha smiled, petting Ein's fur.

"Prevet, Ein," she said.

Ein turned his black, wet nose toward her hand to smell her.

"And where are you and Ein from, Ed?" inquired Sasha curiously. It wasn't every day her son brought home a charming young woman, albeit a little quirky.

"Edward is from Earth! … Er, South America," she corrected herself, forgetting she was on Earth now. "But Ed is not sure where Ein came from. He was on the Bebop already when Ed got there," she said almost sorrowfully.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Sasha said, compelled by Ed's expression into sadness.

"Uh, Maate," Nikolai interrupted.

"Da?"

"Ya know, Ed's kinda cold; on the way here I was telling her about that _amazing_ hot cocoa you make." Sasha gave her son a motherly, knowing look. "I'd make some cocoa myself, but, you know, it probably wouldn't come out right and --"

"Oh alright, Nikolai!" she stopped him mid ramble. "Cocoa it is." Sneaking him a subtle wink, she calmly strolled off toward the kitchen.

Nikolai blushed, heaving a heavy sigh. As he ran his fingers through his dark locks he looked up into Ed's perpetual grin. He turned toward the living room. Taking a few steps, he called to Ed over his shoulder. "Let's go have a seat, Ed," he said in his kind, friendly voice.

"Okey-dokey," she said, following him.

Ed gasped with delight when she entered the living room. The walls were painted a cheery yellow and two large, off-white sofas sat on opposing sides of the room. In the center of the mahogany wooden floor was an ornately decorated rug with primarily red accents. But what really caught Ed's eye was the big, glowing fireplace. "Ooh! Fire! Fire! Fire!" Ed laughed, rushing in toward the burning logs of wood. She twirled around rapidly, her purple skirt floating up into a large circle, before plopping down in front of the welcoming fire. As the lavender fabric of her skirt drifted to a halt around her seated figure, Ed carefully placed Ein down and scooted closer to the fire as he waddled over to the side.

"I take it you like fire," Nikolai chuckled, settling down next to the excited Edward.

"Ed has never seen fire so big!" she said, staring into the flames. She was enchanted by the crackling of the firewood.

"You've never been in front of a fireplace?" Nikolai inquired.

"Nikolai should try having a fireplace on a space ship!" she joked with a smile, turning to face him. Nikolai laughed at the charismatic girl next to him. He didn't notice, but he began watching the flames dance in her amber eyes. The color combination that formed there fascinated him.

Heavy and rapid footsteps fished Nikolai out of Ed's shimmering pools; footsteps of a hyper, running child. Out of the corner of his eye, the young child saw the two older kids sitting by the fire. Realizing one was new, the child made his way over to the fire.

"Prevet," he said to Nikolai. Turning to the new girl, he plopped to his knees between the two. "Who are you?" he asked the strange girl. Ed gave the kid a smile just before he was lightly smacked on the back of his head. "Ow!" he whined.

"Boje Moy! Il'ya, you're so rude!"

"So?" shouted the boy. "You don't have to hit me!" He rubbed the back of his head, his light brown hair flipped up at the movement of his hand. Nikolai scoffed. "I'm telling Mama!" the kid wailed, about to stand.

"C'mere, maleeshka," Nikolai said, playfully wrapping his arm around the boy's neck.

"Hello, maleeshka!" spoke Ed cheerfully. She held out a hand to the boy. Nikolai laughed as young Il'ya grew indignant.

"No, no, that's just a nickname I call him in Russian. _He doesn't like it much,"_ he whispered. The young one pulled himself out of his brother's grip. "This is my little brother, Il'ya. He's six."

"And a half!" Il'ya called out. Ed laughed.

"My name's Edward Wong Hau Pepilew Tivrusky IV!" Ed smiled.

"How come you have a boy's name?" Il'ya questioned.

"Il'ya!" Nikolai said, gently whacking his brother's arm. Ed kept smiling.

"Because Edward didn't like her old name," she answered. She leaned close to the kid. "Edward named herself!" Il'ya smiled as he listened to Ed speak.

"Cool!" he said. Nikolai smiled at Ed's affect on his brother. She seemed to be the same age as the boy when she spoke to him.

"Hey, Il'ya. Maate's making hot cocoa. Why don'cha go give her a hand?"

"Yeah! Cocoa!" Il'ya exclaimed, scrambling up from the rug.

"Nice to meet you, Il'ya!" Ed called after him. The small boy stopped and turned to Ed.

"Nice to meet you too," he hurriedly spat before rushing off to the kitchen. Nikolai turned to Ed.

"Sorry about that," he said. "You know how little kids can be," he laughed.

"Edward thinks Il'ya's a nice kid." She smiled as Ein shuffled up to her. He sat down on the purple fabric of Ed's skirt and the two kids began to pet his fur. Ed stared into the hypnotic flames again.

"Nikolai thinks Edward's a nice kid," the boy said softly.

For the first time in her young life, Edward Wong Hau Pepilew Tivrusky IV began to feel shy.

* * *

**_Finally! The next chapter is posted! I hope you all liked it. I know you've been waiting. It was a bit delayed because of some translation difficulties, but I got it all straightened out. _**

**_Just so you know, the word "Maate", meaning mother, is pronounced "maht". Everything else is pretty much phonetic, I guess. As far as meanings go, you should be able to figure it out based on context._**

**_Oh yeah, and Earthlings live underground since the gate incident, just in case you were in the dark about that. _**

_**Woot!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to the wonderful people at Sunrise Inc. and not me. **_


	22. Busted!

"So, we're splitting up?" asked Faye through the Redtail's communicator. She glanced from her windshield to the monitor when she heard a reply.

"That's the plan," responded Jet. Soon a small village came into view.

"What's the point?" replied Spike's voice. "This town's microscopic. How many bars could there be here?"

"It's not that small," answered Jet. "Probably about three or four."

"Ugh," Faye moaned. "Does it always have to be a bar?" she complained. "I'm getting sick of bars. Can't bounty heads ever hang out in ritzy hotels or casinos or something?"

"Probably don't want to draw attention to themselves," Jet's voice answered. "Besides, a lot of bounty heads probably couldn't afford some place like that."

"Hello?" argued Faye. "Jewel smuggler equals filthy rich! I swear, you boys are dense," she sighed.

"Which also equals stingy son-of-a-bitch," added Spike.

"Hey! There have been plenty of bounty heads that liked to live it up in snazzy hotels!" Faye countered.

"What, did they take you there after a couple drinks?" Spike joked. Faye fumed in her ship.

"Shove it, Spiegel!" she barked.

"Gladly," he replied rousingly. "Where would you like it, Valentine?" He smiled satisfactorily as he listened to Faye seethe in rage. "Wow," he chuckled. "I'm nowhere _near_ you, Faye. Guess I don't know my own strength," he responded, a playful arrogance dripping from is tone. He smiled with a shrug as he heard the beep of Faye decisively turning off her communicator.

"Spike," said Jet finally. "Give it a rest. It'll be easier to catch this bounty if one of us isn't driven insane, alright?" Spike grinned, biting his lip to stifle a laugh.

"Point taken," he replied. Jet beeped off his comm.

"Two insane people wouldn't be of much help either," he mumbled to himself when no one could hear him.

* * *

Ed sat on the big circle rug in the company of her hosts, Nikolai, Sasha and little Il'ya. The four of them enjoyed hot cocoa, which was quite a treat for Edward, and exchanged small talk on life in general.

"So," stated Sasha curiously. "You get to travel around the galaxy, huh? That sounds delightful!"

"Yep!" Ed replied happily.

"Tell me, Ed," asked Sasha. "Which of the space colonies do you like the most?" Ed laughed.

"Ed cannot think of only one! Mars is fun sometimes, but Spike-person is not too crazy about it, even though that's where Spike-person came from. Ganymede is where we land most of the time. It's really pretty on Venus though! That's where Faye-Faye took Ed shopping!"

"How lovely!" Sasha replied. "I've always wanted to perhaps buy a house on Venus. A girl can't do too much shopping, you know!" she chuckled. Ed's eyes began to rove. She noticed that Il'ya hadn't said anything the entire time. Of course he expressed a lack of interest for such boring, grown-up topics, but he was also very absorbed in playing with Ein. Ed smiled at their interaction.

"But it's only the four of you on that ship," said Nikolai, "and you do spend a lot of time in space. Doesn't it ever get … monotonous for you?" Turning her attention to Nikolai, Ed smiled at his particular word choice.

"It's not so bad, except Spike-person gets hurt most of the time and Faye-Faye and Jet-person have to take care of him a lot. It's a good thing he heals fast. Faye-Faye and Jet-person almost never get injured!" Sasha seemed to grow sincerely concerned.

"Oh my!" she said. "What exactly is it that they do?"

Before Ed could answer, Ein trotted up to her, his ear twitching. "Hm? What is it, Ein?" she asked the dog. He placed his two front paws in her lap and whimpered, looking over toward the front door. Ed followed his gaze, and that's when she heard the faint beep of her computer. "Ed's computer!" she gasped. She crawled after the dog, but after tripping over her long skirt a few times, she then decided to stand.

When she made it to her messenger bag that hung on a hook, she extracted her tomato. She opened the screen carefully and found a communication line on hold. "Faye-Faye!" she shouted. She began frantically looking around for some way, any possible way she could answer Faye and fool her into thinking she was still on the Bebop. Soon enough, Ed got an idea.

"Ed! What took you so long?" asked an annoyed Faye from her comm. "I've been trying to reach you for ten minutes!" She was slightly exaggerating.

"Hey, Faye-Faye!" Ed replied, amused by the rhyming words. She held the fabric of her green cape skillfully between her toes on feet that sat propped up on knees behind her. She had to remove Spike's socks, which sat idly beside her elbow.

"What's with the green curtain?" asked Faye, wearing a puzzled expression.

"It's Ed's new wallpaper! Does Faye-Faye like?" the hacker smiled. Faye grew quickly unconcerned.

"Whatever," she tossed lightly. "Anyway, did you find out anything new about the bounty?"

"Um," the hacker began. "Actually… Ed forgot."

"What?" shouted Faye. "What do you mean 'Ed forgot'?"

"Ed's sorry, Faye-Faye. Ed did not find anything else," she said innocently. She was relieved to see that Faye didn't look angry, just a little inconvenienced.

"I see," she replied. "Probably out there making snow angels, huh?" Ed blinked, revealing a bright smile. "Well," Faye continued, "just let us know if you find anything, ok?"

"Okey-dokey, Faye-Faye!" Ed grinned. Just then, the viewfinder on Faye's comm. panned over to reveal Spike's face squeezed in next to hers.

"Ugh, lunkhead," Faye mumbled, glaring at him sideways.

"Hey Ed," Spike called.

"Ay!" replied Ed. Honestly, she was beginning to worry a bit. Spike was good at seeing through tricks, even Ed's. But her smile remained, unphased.

"Jet says to behave yourself. No parties, no boys," he smiled.

"Ay, ay, Spike-person!" she sang, poising her finger over the button to disconnect them.

"Ed?" Spike stopped her.

"Huh?"

"… Where's Ein?" Ed looked around for the dog, but as if he knew he would be needed, he trotted up to the screen next to Edward.

"Right here!" Ed laughed as Ein nuzzled her cheek. He barked cheerfully at the monitor.

"Ok," replied Spike. "I usually don't see you without seeing him," he stated. Ed laughed nervously. Suddenly, the picture wobbled and swayed. Ed saw the white sky.

"Time's up, cowboy! Gimme my comm. back!" arose Faye's voice.

"Ow!" Spike groaned. Then the screen went to static. Ed giggled at the duo's goofy sign-off, relieved that they hadn't appeared to catch on. She grinned to herself as she picked up her tomato and returned to the group.

Just as soon as she got back to the living room again, there was another beep at her monitor. The signal was coming from Spike's comm. this time. "Sorry!" she said nervously. "Please excuse Ed." Ed rushed to the spot she'd been, and propped herself in the same position. When she was ready, she opened the communication window. "Hi, Spi-Spi!" she sang, even more nervous than before.

"Hey," he replied. Then he tilted his head toward the screen secretively. "Nice try, Ed."

"No! No no no no no no no! Noooo!" Ed cried. She dropped her red head onto her folded arms in front of her.

"Yes yes yes yes yeeeess," he mimicked. "Forget who you're dealing with?" Ed looked helplessly into the screen. "You know, Jet's gonna blow a gasket when he finds out you're gone," Spike informed.

"Spi-Spi! Have mercy!" Ed begged, lacing her fingers together with entreaty. Spike chuckled back.

"I won't tell him if you won't," he smiled. "Where are you?" he asked. "I'll come get you and take you back before the old man finds out."

"No!" shouted Ed. Spike seemed a bit puzzled.

"Ok, I'll get Faye to-"

"No no no!" she cried. Spike sighed, running a hand through his fuzzy green hair.

"You're not gonna stay there, are you?" he asked, more seriously. "Jet would really take it hard if you left us again."

"No!" said Ed with a smile. She appreciated the fact that she would be missed, and she knew that Spike was speaking not just for Jet, but for everyone on the ship. "Just let Ed come back by herself," she laughed.

"Are you sure?" Spike asked. "How far away from the ship are you?"

"According to the radar, Edward is approximately 22 miles away," she cheerfully announced.

"Christ, Ed!" Spike quietly shouted. "Twenty two miles? How'd you get so far on foot?"

"Ed's scooter helped too, Spike-person," Ed replied with a smirk and a wink. Spike let out a sigh. _She learned that from Faye, no doubt,_ he thought.

"I dunno about this, Ed," he said reluctantly.

"Edward will be okey-dokey, alright, Spike-o-person?" Ed assured him. "This will be a big job since there are five bounty heads to capture, right?" she asked.

"One down, four to go," Spike answered. "It might be shorter than you think."

"Ed is doubtful!" Ed grinned, rolling onto her back to look at the monitor upside down. Her cover was blown, so there was really no need to keep up her charade. Her purple skirt fell about her waist, revealing her black leggings.

"I'm sure you are," Spike replied. "Look, just try to get back to the ship before we do, ok?" he said sternly.

"Don't worry about Edward!" the girl smiled at him gleefully. Spike started as he saw a head of brown, wavy hair appear next to Ed. _So much for 'no boys',_ he thought.

"Yeah, don't worry, sir," added Nikolai nervously. "I'll have Edward home safe and sound, no trouble at all!"

"Uh, thanks," Spike replied. "… and you are…?"

"Nikolai Mussorgsky," he answered with a charming smile. "And you must be Spike. Ed's told us all about you, sir!" Ed rolled onto her side, leaning her fiery hair against Nikolai's arm. Her shimmering eyes flitted back and forth between his brown orbs and Spike's on the monitor. Spike relaxed a little. Ed was an excellent judge of character and if she trusted this Nikolai kid, why shouldn't he?

"Yeah?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow. "What have you heard?" Suddenly his eyes flicked off to the side as he heard Faye shouting to him.

"Let's move it, lunkhead!" she called. Spike looked back at the two kids again.

"Duty calls," he said quickly. "Ed, … Nikolai." They stared as Spike's image shrunk to a tiny, white dot on Ed's screen before disappearing completely. Ed sat up criss-cross facing the young man, and gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ed," he said remorsefully. "I was curious, and also Spike sounded a little upset and I didn't want you to get into trouble, and I wanted him to know you were safe here--"

"Don't apologize, Nikki-Moose!" Ed interrupted him with a hug. She smiled, proud of the nickname she had come up with. Pulling away, she left her hands on his shoulders. "Now if Papa-Jet finds out Ed's missing, Spike-person can tell him…" She hugged him again, nestling her nose under his chin. "Ed's in good hands."

Nikolai blushed, gingerly returning Edward's hug. _Nikki-Moose? _he thought, smiling.

* * *

**_Woot! Merry belated Christmas, everyone! It feels like I haven't posted a chapter in forever! So, here ya go, just a little post to get you off your toes for a while. I'll be back with more soon! Ciao!_**

**_Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc., not me. I am merely manipulating the characters to tickle my own fancy. Haha!  
_**


	23. Zeroing In

Faye and Spike followed Jet at a distance through the snow-covered streets of the town. In the long run, they'd decided not to split up. Since there were so few bars around, it would be easier to have a group effort. "Hey!" Jet called back at the two dawdlers. "Quit lagging behind! Or have you forgotten we're on a bounty chase here?" Faye glanced up at her brawny partner, quickening her pace as she rolled her eyes, leaving Spike to bring up the tail end of the line.

A fair amount of Spike's attention was being consumed by the conversation he'd had with Edward. It was that kid, Nikolai, that worried him. Sure he was a nice kid; there was no doubt about that. He didn't sense any serious threat from Nikolai; he couldn't have been much older than Ed herself, but Spike still worried about her for some reason. After all, he had been the kid's age once, and he hated to admit, but Ed was looking a lot cuter these days, but in a whole different sense of the word. _Jet **can't** find out about this,_ he thought.

Realizing how far from the others he'd gotten, Spike jogged to catch up. He made it to Faye's side just as she nodded to Jet and walked through the door of a building they were ambling past. Spike glanced up, seeing that this was indeed, a bar. "Come on, Spike," Jet called as he continued walking along the street. Spike said nothing, and followed the man away. As they kept walking, Jet looked over at his partner as he removed his gloves. "You look a little off," he said to the olive haired man. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked, taking out a cigarette. Spike chuckled.

"Nah," he answered. "Nothing out of the ordinary." He eyed Jet's cancer stick hungrily. "Can I bum one off you, old man?" he asked with a smile. Jet eyed him sideways as he fished out his lighter.

"What happened to yours?" he responded. Spike shrugged, and Jet shelled out anyway. Spike's cigarettes were in his jacket pocket, nestled away under his pink, puffy coat, but he felt too lazy to dig them out at the moment. He was glad Jet was so generous. Accepting Jet's light, he shuffled through the snow after the bald man. The glowing ember at the end of the stick seemed to be a protective shield against any cold and gusty winds.

"What about you?" Spike asked, changing Jet's focus. "You've been looking a little off for a while now." Jet stiffened, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Aren't I always like this?" he asked, wearing his grumpiest countenance.

"Yeah, for the past to years," Spike replied, blowing out some smoke. "You'd think all your bonsais died or something." Spike waited for a reply, but there wasn't one. "Hey, I know what this is about!" he said suddenly, as if he'd had an epiphany.

"Let's not go too far," Jet interrupted, stopping to lean on a building. "Faye might call for backup." Spike stopped with him, continuing as if Jet hadn't said a word.

"After we get this bounty out of the way, we're gonna go to TJ, get you shit-faced and get you a hooker!" he said with a grin. Jet glanced skeptically at the thin man at his side. "My treat," Spike smiled.

"Don't we already have one of those?" Jet asked after a pause. He wore a faint smile. Spike laughed at the bald man, slapping his muscular shoulder.

"You're a regular comedian, old man," he chuckled. Jet grinned.

"You really think _that's_ my problem, huh?" he asked after Spike's laughter had subsided.

"Yup. What you need, my friend," said Spike, lowering his voice, "is a beautiful woman who can give you one mind-blowing romp in the sack." Smiling, he swayed his hands in the hourglass shape of a woman.

"Well," Jet sighed heavily. "What have I got to lose?" He chuckled at the idea.

"Not as much as you can gain," Spike replied with a grin. As he was about to elaborate, a call came through on his comm. Fishing it out of his pocket, Spike answered.

"Hey," Faye's voice came from the speaker. "There's two of them; I'm gonna need a hand, you guys."

"Coming, my dear," Spike crooned sarcastically at the woman. Instantly, his screen went black. He pocketed his comm. and started off toward the bar they'd passed.

"Keep your head in the game, Spike," Jet called after him.

"Don't worry, I'm on it," Spike replied, waving a hand in careless disregard before sauntering out of earshot.

* * *

Faye sat alone at the bar when Spike entered. He watched as she avoided the advances placed by the particularly drunken man a barstool away from her. He strolled in and slipped onto the stool that separated Faye from her predator. "Hey," he said coolly to her.

"Hey," she responded, sliding her arms over his shoulders. She hurriedly gave him a steamy kiss, running fingers through the curls at the back of his head. Spike tasted the gin & tonic with lime on her lips. She slowly pulled away, staring intensely into his chocolaty eyes.

"Happy to see me?" he asked, returning Faye's stare.

"Just warding off the locals," she said softly with a smirk. "Once they see I'm here with you, they'll back off. That guy on your right has been eyeing me like a pork chop since I got here."

"Yeah? I don't blame him," Spike replied. Faye gave him a look. Another of his left handed compliments.

"So, what took you so long?" she asked him, spinning her stool to face the center of the room.

"Thirty seconds not fast enough for you, Faye?" he snarked. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll shoot for ten."

"I meant on the way here, smart-ass," Faye retorted. "Usually you're out in front, but this time you were eating our dust. What happened?"

"I spoke to Ed," he said simply.

"Oh!" Faye replied with a smile. "Anything new?"

"She's got herself a boyfriend."

"What?" Faye laughed. "She should be so lucky. I got stuck with _you_," she teased.

"Faye," Spike said seriously. "She's not on the ship."

"She…" Faye began. "That little brat duped me!" Spike looked at her, surprised by her apparent lack of concern. "The kid's always wandering off, isn't she?" she said. After a long beat, she spoke again. "Where is she?" Faye continued, sobering her expression. Spike felt relieved.

"His place," he mumbled, signaling the bartender for a drink. Faye began to show more concern as Spike murmured his order.

"Should we go get her or something?"

"She's fine," said Spike. "He seems like a nice kid. Plus she said she'd come back on her own."

"Oh," replied Faye. There was a small pause. "Jet's gonna shit a chicken when he finds out she's missing."

"Yep," he said, lifting his fresh glass of rum on the rocks. "That's why we're not going to tell him." Faye sighed.

"Whatever. I really hope you're right about this," she sighed.

Spike made no reply. Instead he subtly eyed the mirrored wall behind the bar, looking through and around the numerous bottles of alcohol that sat mounted on glass shelves. "Where are they?" he asked, getting down to business. Faye picked up her glass and leaned back against the bar, crossing her legs seductively.

"Five o'clock," she replied, propping her elbows onto the surface behind her. Her emerald orbs casually scanned the room, grazing over the table with their oblivious targets as if by mere coincidence. Faye sighed as she turned to place her old fashioned glass back onto the bar with nothing remaining but ice cubes and a lime wedge speared with a tiny red plastic sword. "Here goes," Faye said slinking from her barstool.

"Do your thing," Spike replied, his voice echoing on the bottom of his glass. He turned his head slightly, watching from his cybernetic eye as Faye sashayed over to the bounty heads.

* * *

**_Happy new year, everybody! And happy belated birthday to Edward Wong Hau Pepilew Tivrusky IV! Her birthday was on New Year's Day. Woot! Well, I hope you enjoy my latest installment. Stay tuned, there's more to come! Ciao!_**

**_Cowboy Bebop and it's characters do not belong to me; they are property of Sunrise Inc. _**


	24. These Hands

Faye approached the two men as they sat conversing about their work. "Man, I can't wait for this to be over with," complained one of the men, identified as Timothy Martin. "Gu keeps ridin' us for all the dirty work, and then he reaps most of the benefits!"

"Yeah," replied the other man, known as Oscar Burns. "Fifty-fifty sounds fair, but not with five different people involved." Faye listened as she walked, adorning her sweetest smile.

"My," she stated as she reached their small round table. "It sounds like you boys have it pretty rough." Oscar looked over his shoulder, followed by Timothy, at the raven-haired bombshell behind them. They stared into her enchanting green eyes as she teasingly flitted them about. "Boss riding you, huh?" she asked.

"That's the way of it," Martin replied, peering into the empty glass before him.

"The story of our lives," added Burns, scratching the back of his head topped with spiky brown hair. Faye slipped out of her lambskin coat, allowing the men's eyes to rove her shapely figure. She pulled up a chair from a neighboring table.

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could let someone else do that for once?" she hinted, slinking down into the backwards chair.

"Hmm," began Oscar. "Got any ideas, sweetheart?"

"Perhaps," Faye purred. Her eyes glanced from Oscar to Timothy, sliding over his black hair, black eyes and chocolate skin. "Is it true what they say?" she asked innocently, her orbs drifting to the lower half of his torso. She grinned as she noticed his reaction.

"I'll let you be the judge of that, miss," he replied coyly. Faye laughed charmingly, redistributing her attention.

"So," she said to both men. "Tell me about this … terrible job of yours."

* * *

Spike ran his finger around the rim of his empty little glass. He tilted it up to his nose, trying to get every last drop of alcohol from between the melting ice cubes with his tongue. He thought with a smile of how Faye would have given him a hard time if she'd seen him when he decided to give Jet a call on his comm. He was a bit bored waiting for Faye and wanted to get his mind off of drinking. It would also help prevent Jet from blowing Ed's cover.

"How goes it, Spike-o?" Jet asked when he answered the call.

"Slowly, but surely," Spike replied, resting his chin on his hand. "Faye's milkin' 'em right now." He looked in her direction once again. "That sex appeal sure does come in handy," he added sardonically.

"You're tellin' me," Jet mumbled. Spike looked back at the little screen, raising an eyebrow as Jet coughed away his faux pas."Well," Jet said hurriedly. "I'm gonna give Ed a call, and see if she's found anything else." As cool as he looked on the outside, Spike was panicked on the inside.

"Don't worry about it," he said, trying to sound as cool as possible without tripping over his tongue. "I already did." Jet paused.

"Oh," he replied, feeling more at ease. "Anything new?"

"Nothing we don't already know," Spike answered. "Keep in mind that Faye's on it now and if anyone can deliver it's her. We probably won't even need Ed anymore." He stifled his uncharacteristically nervous grin into a cocky smirk. Spike was always terrible at lying. He watched as Jet pushed back his fuzzy hat and rubbed his shiny head.

"Yeah, you're right," he replied. Spike struggled to hide his overwhelming wave of relief. "Let me know if anything happens," said Jet authoritatively.

"Will do," Spike replied. As the screen went black, he released a sigh. Never had he been so nervous, especially with his partner of nearly six years. He had become very in tune with Jet over the years, and he knew that Jet would worry himself into a frenzy if he knew about Ed's disappearance, subtly dragging everyone else along for the ride. Little Edward held a big place in Jet's thick-skinned heart.

* * *

"Oh, this Gu guy sounds like such a tyrant!" Faye cooed delicately, much to the delight of Timothy and Oscar. "It's hard to believe he's bossing you boys around when he's not even here! Where is he, anyway?" she asked, slipping her business question into the conversation.

"He and his lover are off getting a room at some ritzy hotel not far from here," Oscar answered bitterly. Faye's face lit up; it was something she'd been waiting to hear.

"Yeah," Timothy added. "They go living it up while the rest of us do all the hard work."

Faye feigned a look of indignity. "How rude of him not to invite you two along! You seem like such nice, deserving … capable young men," she said with a seductive swish of her hair. "Well," she said, grazing Oscar's cheek with her thumb. "I hope things turn out for the best." She ran her fingers over Timothy's short, tight curls as she stood over her wooden chair. Grabbing her coat by it's collar, she started walking in the direction from which she came, giving an affirmative wink to Spike, who had been watching inconspicuously, yet resolutely.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Oscar, standing and gripping her wrist. Timothy rushed in front of her. "We thought you were gonna stick around for a while."

"Don't feel like discovering the man behind the myth?" Timothy teased. Faye walked slowly as the men goaded her on and followed her, stopping within an arm's length of her partner.

"Gentlemen," Faye said sweetly." Your offer sounds quite appealing, indeed." She smiled up into Timothy's ebony eyes, then over into Oscar's hazel ones.

"So why don't you take us up on it?" asked Oscar as Timothy placed a large hand on her waist.

Spike listened intently, eyeing the two randy men in the reflection of the mirrored wall. He sat calmly and patiently, but below the surface he was a coiled spring. As much as he despised the thought of strange men putting their hands on _his_ forbidden territories, he had to admit he was intrigued by her work. That didn't mean, however, that he had any intention of getting used to it.

"Two against one sounds a little unfair," said Faye as Oscar gripped her hips from behind, "but I think I have something to make the game a bit more interesting."

"What's that?" asked Timothy, gripping a breast.

Faye's Glock seemed to appear out of nowhere and found its mark between Timothy's eyes. "This, for one thing," she smiled, cocking the safety. The dark man ripped his hand away as if it burned. Before Oscar could react, the cold, hard lips of the Jericho kissed his temple.

"Don't you know it's rude to touch a woman without her permission?" Spike smirked with fire in his eyes. Faye grinned diabolically. Oscar quickly removed his hands from Faye's hips and nervously turned his head to get a glimpse of his assailant.

"Who are you, her body guard?" he stated boldly.

"Maybe," Spike answered, his eyes narrowing. "But don't worry. There'll be a lot more body guards where you're headed."

"Bounty hunters?" said Timothy with wide eyes.

"Surprise!" Faye smirked.

* * *

_**Yay! I know you guys are tired of the slow-moving chapters, so finally here's an action-packed one! But it's not over yet! Stay tuned! **_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to the good people over at Sunrise Inc. Luckyyy!**_


	25. Struggle Match!

Jet stood a short distance down the lane, waiting for a signal, a message, a disturbing sound, anything that would do as his call to action. Knowing Spike and Faye, it most likely would be a disturbing sound. As he dropped his second cigarette filter into the snow at his feet, a chill ran through his limbs. He began to wish he were back in the Bebop right about now. _What's taking them so long in there?_ he asked himself. _It's getting colder. _He looked at the time display on his comm., feeling abandoned. It was going on four p.m. He thought that perhaps Spike and Faye had to be the slowest, and yet the most effective, bounty hunters he'd ever known. _Oh well, _he thought. _Patience is a virtue._ He looked up idly into the sky where the snowflakes had ceased to fall not long ago. _I wonder how Ed is doing,_ he wondered.

* * *

Spike's eyes blazed with a passionate fury as he held Oscar Burns painfully pinned to a table. He'd be damned if he were to let some sleazy bounty head get away with so much as laying a finger on his Faye. In spite of his angry eyes, the rest of his face sat relaxed in cool confidence, a look that labeled him unbreakable. He wished that he could multiply, so the other offender wouldn't be left unpunished. Although he was sure Faye was just as likely as he was to cause the bounty physical pain, he wished he could deliver it himself.

Faye trafficked Timothy Martin into an empty table booth at gunpoint. Civilians had already scattered, some leaving the bar, others moving to far corners, reluctant to leave behind their food and drinks, or simply to watch the action. The bartender was backed against the glass shelves, wary, but not unaccustomed to witnessing bounty busts in his bar. Guns made him particularly nervous, as with most civilians. Faye looked down at Timothy wearing her devious smile, when he bravely spoke.

"You're bounty hunters--"

"Tell me something I don't know!" Faye interjected.

"So, you can't kill us; no money for you," he replied with a confidant smirk.

"You're not insinuating that you're gonna try to _run_ from me, are you?" asked Faye sweetly. "Don't assume I don't know how to use this thing," she said, giving her Glock a shake. "It's a very unwise decision."

"I don't doubt your abilities, miss lady," Timothy said, still smiling. "But what makes you doubt mine?" He motioned to stand, ready to give Faye a shove so he could have enough space to make his getaway. Before his feet could stabilize his weight, Faye pressed her Glock into his jugular.

"Let's play a little game, shall we?" she said with a mischievous grin. "It's called 'which vital organ can I blast to smithereens without killing you'?" She steadily moved the aim of her gun down along the length of his body. "Any guesses?"

Spike violently flipped Oscar onto his stomach, twisting his arms onto his back. The bounty grimaced as Spike applied his weight to his bent limbs. "You know what they say," he whispered gruffly, twisting Oscar's wrists painfully. Oscar tried to respond, wincing in pain. "Behind every great woman is a man with a gun," Spike said, cuffing the bounty's wrists. His cool smile remained plastered to his face as his voice rang with a twisted sense of pride.

The thought that he'd never before heard of such a saying briefly crossed Oscar's mind just before he was hit by another painful jolt. Spike eased off of the man, roughly yanking him by his adjoined wrists. He approached Faye and Timothy, dragging Oscar behind him. He thought that Faye, although strong, probably wasn't forceful enough to pin down and cuff the resistant black man. At least, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to try.

"Here, I'll trade you," he said to her, poising his Jericho where the Glock had been. Faye smiled as she turned to leave.

"You boys play nice!" she winked, straddling Oscar's fallen figure.

"You'll never take me alive!" Timothy spat in Spike's direction. Spike smirked.

"That's my only choice," he replied, manhandling the bounty. "Call Jet," he barked at Faye.

"You know, I'm getting awfully tired of you never saying 'please'," she replied, sitting atop Oscar's form. She used this opportunity to put her coat back on.

"Hey, get off a' me, lady!" Oscar cried as Faye's knees dug into his back. She ignored him knowingly with a smirk as she fluffed her hair.

Spike wrestled Timothy to the table and grappled with his fighting arms. "Look, you wanna carry this guy to the ISSP?" Spike shouted.

"Well, it's not like I couldn't," Faye answered, "but why do that when I can let you handle both of them?" she responded with aloofness. Spike sighed in exasperation.

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" he growled, glaring at Faye through his left eye.

"There! Was that so hard?" Faye smiled, digging out her comm. Spike rolled his marble eyes.

Faye pressed the button on her communicator. "Hey, Jet," she spoke.

"Yes, Faye?" said Jet's voice, although he sounded a lot clearer than the comm. usually made him sound. Faye turned around and saw the big man standing behind her. She smiled, climbing up and off of the bounty head on the floor.

"Now that's fast!" she said happily.

"Nice to see ya, big guy," Spike said, finally slapping a pair of cuffs onto Timothy's resilient arms.

"How'd you know we needed you?" asked Faye, straightening herself out.

"I saw the running civilians. I figured you two'd be the most likely cause of it," Jet said matter-of-factly, kneeling to retrieve Oscar. "Funny thing is, I didn't hear any gunfire this time."

"You were about to," Spike growled close to Timothy's ear.

The trio exited the bar, boots crunching on broken glasses that had been swished from tabletops. Bounty heads were dragged through the debris, wincing at the shards that clawed through their clothes, and the alcohol that stung their scrapes.

* * *

_**Whoo! That was fun. I hope you liked the action part of my story. Stay tuned! The best is yet to come!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop does not belong to me, but to Sunrise Inc. **_


	26. Here And There

"How old is Nikki-Moose?" asked Edward as she lay on the rug in front of the fireplace, kicking her feet back and forth and resting her chin in her hands.

"Sixteen. I'll be seventeen in March," he replied, looking down at Ed from his upright posture. Ed laughed.

"Nikki-Moose is ten months older than Edward! I'll be sixteen in January," she replied. She rolled onto her back, gazing upside down into the fire. Sasha had headed back downstairs to finish up a few housekeeping chores. Il'ya had wandered over in the meantime, and began to mimic Edward's actions. Nikolai ignored his little brother, but Ed gave him a happy grin.

"Whoa! Cool!" the child exclaimed as he saw the fire flickering upside down in his vision.

"Il'ya has never done this before?" Ed asked him. "Il'ya lives here!"

"My mom said it's bad to be upside down for too long," the boy replied.

"Oh!" Ed laughed. "Your mom is right; Ed knows!" She rolled onto her stomach again. Nikolai chuckled at Ed just before he felt his stomach growl.

"Hey," he said. "Do you want anything to eat, Ed?"

"Well, Ed is a little hungry," the girl replied. "And so is Nikki, by the sounds of it!" she grinned. Nikolai blushed. He lurched lazily to his feet then extended his reach to the redheaded hacker. She took his hand and followed him up.

"You heard that, huh?" he asked sheepishly.

"Uh-huh!" Ed giggled. She walked close behind him as they moved into the kitchen.

* * *

"Uh, Jet?" asked an apprehensive Faye as the three of them dragged Timothy Martin and Oscar Burns to where the ships were parked. "You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest ISSP station is, do you? I mean, we've got three bounty heads and two more to go. What do we do with these two while we go get the first one?" Jet listened, giving Faye a glance.

"The nearest station is on Venus," he replied, heaving a knocked-out Timothy on his shoulder.

"What?!" Faye exclaimed. "You mean there's not one here on Earth?" Jet ignored her outburst.

"You two can take these guys back to the Bebop, I'll pick up Clemmons on the way, and I'll keep an eye on them while you get the last two." Faye sighed.

"It just feels like such a … nuisance to me," she said, tossing her hair.

"Ooh, big words," Spike commented suddenly. Faye looked up at him, but he had drifted out of the conversation just as quickly as he'd joined it. She rolled her eyes in response to his, at times, goldfish-like attention span.

"Hey," called a sudden voice from below. "Do ya think you could be a little more gentle? That really hurts back here," called Oscar. He was being hauled by the chain of the handcuffs that bit into his wrists. Spike smirked haughtily back at the bounty head.

"You should have thought about that before you went and got a nice hefty bounty placed on your head," he replied coldly. Faye smirked at his rough nature, but soon startled as he addressed her.

"Faye," he whispered sideways to her.

"Hm?" she acknowledged, walking closer to him.

"I have a feeling Ed's not back on the ship yet."

"That's not good," Faye replied. "So, what do we do about Jet?" she asked, biting her lower lip. Spike shrugged.

"I dunno," he replied. "Wanna gimme a cigarette?" he asked randomly at his regular volume again. Faye seemed a bit surprised; it was as if he hadn't mentioned Ed at all.

"I don't have one," she replied, slipping back into her normal, unalarmed tone. "I left them in the Redtail." Her tone had a soft finality.

"That's ok," he said, slowly grinning at her. "You remember which pocket I keep mine in, don't you?" Faye crossed her arms.

"…Uh-huh," she replied aloofly. "You are shameless, Spiegel," she sighed, turning her head and stepping ahead of him.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Spike shrugged to himself.

* * *

_** Well, this one's a quickie, but the next chapter will be up soon. I've been on a roll lately! I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc.**_


	27. Homecoming

Ed clung to Nikolai as they sped through the snow on his zippy snowmobile. "Ed gives Nikki-Moose many thanks for giving Ed a ride back home!" she shouted over the motor with a smile. Ein gave an appreciative bark, poking his head out from inside Ed's bag.

"It's the least I could do!" he called back. Ed hugged him, feeling a lot warmer than she'd felt previously. Of course, it most likely had something to do with the beige hooded fur shawl and matching boots Sasha had given her as a parting gift. Her previously meager attire would never do in such weather.

"Nikolai doesn't mind that Edward calls him 'Nikki-Moose', does he?" Ed asked. "Ed gives lots of people nicknames."

"I don't mind," Nikolai replied with a chuckle. "In fact, I kinda like it! It's just that now I have to think of a nickname for you." Ed's eyes grew wide behind her goggles.

"Edward has never had a nickname before! Except for 'Ed'…" she said excitedly. Just then, she heard something soaring overhead. She gasped as she beheld three familiar forms above them. "Oh no way! No way! No way!" she exclaimed, pulling her fuzzy hood over her fiery hair. Nikolai became alarmed.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"Not a bird… not a plane… it's Papa Jet, Spike-person and Faye-Faye!" she shouted. Ein whimpered with worry. "Edward is too late!"

"Uh-oh," Nikolai said. "Are you gonna be in trouble, Ed?" he asked.

"Ed does not know," she answered. "It's always been okey-dokey for Ed to leave the ship in other places, but this time, Papa-Jet told Ed to stay on the ship. He's never been mad at Ed before."

"What about the other two?" Nikolai asked.

"They tend to stay out of it," said Ed, feeling a bit more relaxed. She stared into the sky as the Hammerhead, the Redtail and the Swordfish II disappeared into the distance. "Ed should be alright," she said, snuggling against Nikolai's back.

For the remainder of the ride, Ed was feeling pretty relaxed, resigned to whatever consequence she might receive for sneaking off with specific orders not to. She'd carried on conversation with Nikolai and Ein, treating the journey home like a joyride. Nothing bad had ever come her way from the Bebop crew, unless she counted near starvation, which really wasn't anyone's fault, and until recently had been quite frequent. Such was the life of a young space cowgirl.

* * *

Jet had secured the three bounty heads in the living space, making absolute sure to tether them so tightly they could barely wriggle about. He had called out to Edward upon boarding the ship, but when he received no answer or appearance from the girl, he'd just assumed she was asleep somewhere.

He sat peacefully on the yellow chair, pruning the bonsai that sat obediently on the coffee table in front f him; it wasn't lost on him that Spike and Faye were conveniently nowhere to be found. And so was Edward. _I wonder where Ed is,_ he thought. _She always was a heavy sleeper. _

Just then, he could hear Spike, tip-toeing across the corridor at the top of the stairs behind him. "Hey, Spike-o," he called, still focusing on his tree. Spike stopped.

"Hm?" he answered around a lit cigarette.

"You wanna come keep an eye on these guys so I can go pilot the ship?" he asked, turning to face Spike, who stuffed a hand in his pocket.

"Yeah… in a sec," he replied. Ed still hadn't returned, and they couldn't leave without her.

"What, that cigarette too precious to share with the company of others?" Jet asked with a smirk. Spike removed the stick from his mouth, balancing it between two fingers.

"Something like that," he responded, tapping off grey ashes. He began to walk away, but Jet called after him again.

"Hey, have any idea where Ed is?" he asked. "She likes keeping an eye on bounty heads." Spike shrugged.

"No idea," he said, sauntering away. At least he was being honest.

* * *

Faye leaned leisurely against a wall near the entrance of the Bebop. She was basically at ease, since Jet was so peaceful at the moment. As long as he didn't know of Ed's whereabouts, he wouldn't be on edge. But the tricky thing was not letting him take off. Shortly, she began to get antsy. Patience was never one of her strong suits. "What's taking that little brat so long?" she growled to herself. Just as she began to pace, she ran into Spike.

"You're always bumping into me, aren't you, Faye?" he asked her with a smirk.

"You're always in my way," she replied, crossing her arms. Turning away, she stared at the entrance. "Still no sign of the kid," she sighed. Spike didn't reply. Hands in pockets, he leaned casually against the wall of the corridor. Faye leaned on the opposite wall, glad at least to have someone to talk to. She took out a cigarette and placed it neatly between her ruby lips as she fished out her lighter. After a long break, she spoke again. "This is sure is one hell of a bounty," she said, pursing her lips to exhale a cloud of smoke.

"There have been worse," said Spike.

"Yeah, but we've never had to deal with five at a time," Faye replied. "At least they're all easy catches."

"So far," Spike mumbled. He took a moment to light his own cigarette. "Speaking of easy catches," he said after a pause. Faye looked up at him, expecting another sample of his cruel humor. "I was pretty impressed with how you handled those guys back there."

"Oh," Faye brightened. "Well it was nothing really…" she smiled, her ego inflated.

"Yeah," said Spike, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I was wondering how you'd ever lure them into your trap without that yellow monstrosity." Faye tensed in anger.

"When I wear more clothes, it leaves more to the imagination!" she growled, springing from her wall in protest. "A man can't resist undressing me with his eyes," she said haughtily, flipping her hair. Spike chuckled at her silliness.

"Too bad you didn't figure that out sooner," he drawled, reaching a hand out to her. Pushing off of his wall, he pressed his fingertips into the chords of Faye's ribbed sweater. She stifled a grin by biting down on her smoke filter, but she felt magnetically drawn to him. As she stepped into his embrace, she turned her back to him. Spike leaned against his wall again, pulling Faye back with him. "Don't pretend to be mad, Faye," he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her stomach. "Sometimes it doesn't work so well," he spoke softly into her ear. Faye relaxed into him, resting her head on his chest as he nestled his chin in her hair.

* * *

The motor of Nikolai's snowmobile subsided to a purr as it came to a rest in front of the Bebop. "Well," Nikolai said, pulling the key from the ignition. "Here you are, home at last!" He held out a hand for Ed to grip as she stumbled down. Ed looked up at the huge ship and puffed out her fur-covered chest. Ein dangled in the bag at her side. Suddenly she swirled around to face Nikolai.

"Come inside with Edward!" she laughed, encircling him with a hug. "Meet Ed's friends!" Nikolai seemed a bit nervous, but he sported a smile for Ed.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, removing his knitted hat to scratch his fluffy brown head of hair. "I don't wanna impose, and what if your, uh, Jet-person is still mad?"

"Nikki-Moose is scared?" Ed grinned. Nikolai wrinkled his nose in admittance. "Nikki will keep Papa Jet from being mad!" Ed knew Jet pretty well, and she knew he was his most civil when there was company aboard the ship.

"Eh, what the hell?" smiled Nikolai as Ed yanked him eagerly by the arm.

"Papa Jet really is a nice person!" she sang as she led him up to the Bebop.

* * *

Spike and Faye loitered in the little entrance corridor waiting for Edward's return. Spike's fingers slid over Faye's cheek as she leaned into his embrace. Slowly, Spike's cool fingertips crept under the collar of Faye's warm turtleneck. She smiled, eyes closed, as his lips gently kissed and nibbled at her earlobe. He teased her, moving at a sloth's pace, taking the time to absorb the sweet perfume dabbed behind her ears. She anxiously bit her lip.

"Oh yeah, _real_ busy, Spike," came a gruff voice. The duet peered over to see a disapproving Jet standing in the corridor with his brawny arms crossed over his chest. Faye slipped gently out of Spike's grip; the places where his arms had been began to feel cold as ice. "Is _this_ why you couldn't watch the bounty heads for two seconds?" Spike blinked, shoving his empty hands in his pockets.

"So, why aren't you watching them?" asked Faye defensively. Jet cleared his throat.

"I tied them up well enough-- that's not the point!" He was a bit flustered. "What are you two doing down here?"

"We're securing the exits," announced Faye confidently. "If any of those bounty heads escape, we'll be ready for them, right Spike?" Spike nodded submissively as Jet stared blankly at the two of them. She was a much better liar than he was, regardless of how farfetched her information was.

"You two are full of it," said Jet. "Is there something going on here?"

"No, nothing's going on, Jet. Now go watch those bounty heads or we're gonna have to spring into action here!" exclaimed Faye.

"Wouldn't want that, now would we?" Jet mumbled, rolling his eyes. Spike absently shook his head. "Whatever, you two. I'm going to go find--"

"_Never fear! Edward is here_!" suddenly sang the melodious voice of Ed.

"Ed?" Jet peered at the redheaded girl, her dog and her new friend.

"Spike-person! Faye-Faye!" sang Ed, lunging forward to give the two bounty hunters a hug. Jet's mouth sat ajar as he looked at his three crewmembers. "… Papa Jet-person?" Ed said, puzzled.

"Oh!" exclaimed Faye, dramatically feigning shock. "We're just as surprised as you are!" she said to the bald man with a nervous chuckle.

"Ed," said Jet. "You were gone all this time?"

"Not gone," said Ed. "Somewhere else!" she smiled.

"I told you to stay on the ship this time, Ed," Jet spoke sternly. Ed nodded, looking dismally sorrowful. Jet released a sigh. "You could have frozen to death! What happened?"

"Well…" she smiled. Spike and Faye exchanged glances, preparing themselves for an earful of Edward information. "It was boring, booooring! Then Ein said 'woof woof woof! Adventure!' Then Ed got warm with Spi-Spi's socks, and we went VROOM VROOOOOM! But then, burrrr! Too cold! Then Nikki-Moose found Ed and Ein! Then fire! Fire! Pretty fire! And mmmmm! Hot cocoa! And then Ed said 'hey' to Faye-Faye, then Spi-Spi, then Spi-Spi again! Then ooooh! Fuzzy-wuzzy! Then, even bigger VROOOM VROOOOOOOM! And now, Edward is back with Nikki-Moose!"

Ed finished her story by sneaking behind Nikolai and nudging him toward the crew. "Nikki-Moose," said Ed cheerfully. "Meet Spike-person, Papa Jet-person and Faye-Faye!" She held a hand out, pointing to each one respectively. Jet was the first to speak.

"So you saved Edward, huh kid?" he asked. Nikolai nervously blushed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I wouldn't call it _saving_, heh!" the boy said, smiling sheepishly up at Jet's bulky, menacing frame. Jet didn't return the smile.

"I suppose you deserve thanks for that," he said, resting his hands on his hips.

"Uh, i-it was n-n-nothing, sir," the kid stammered. Ed gave him a generous hug as Faye spoke up.

"Don't worry about Jet," she said lamely. "His bark is worse than his bite." Nikolai grinned nervously at her, gratefully accepting her advice. His eyes moved over to meet Spike's, lingering there for a few seconds before quickly looking away, wondering if there'd be a reply. Finally, as if obligated to say something, Spike spoke.

"You have strange taste in women," he said casually. His careless words prompted a somewhat shocked glance from Jet as Faye tried to stifle a snicker. Unfortunately, he'd only managed to make the poor boy feel even more awkward. Ed grinned with amusement.

"Spi-Spi's funny!" she said, maintaining her grip on her new friend.

Spike sighed, running his hand through his fuzzy hair. _Ed's definitely from another galaxy,_ he thought.

"Uh, well, we _are_ still in the middle of a bounty chase," Jet said authoritatively. "Those guys aren't gonna take themselves to the ISSP." He turned to Ed, and then to Nikolai, with a calm look on his face. He didn't want to send the kid away in spite of all his help, but business was business.

"Okey-dokey!" sang Ed. "Come with Ed, Nikki!" she grinned, pulling him off to the living space.

"Wait, Ed," Jet called after her. Ed stopped and looked at him patiently and happily. "I'm sure, uh…"

"Nikolai," the boy assisted.

"I'm sure Nikolai here has to get back to his home, don't you, son?" he asked, turning to the kid.

"Can we bring Nikki-Moose to his home?!" Ed asked cheerily, bounding toward the big man and tossing her arms around him. Jet seemed nervous.

"Sorry, but no, Ed. As used to this as you've gotten, it's still dangerous for kids, and I don't wanna be responsible for someone else's kid on top of it." Ed's golden eyes shined and sparkled as she pleaded with the surly man. Nikolai was uneasy as he watched.

"Papa!" Edward grinned, her voice loud and playful. Pulling back, she gripped the metal hand of Jet's cybernetic arm. Bouncing up and down she continued to pester him. "Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa! _Papa!"_ Jet pinched the bridge of his nose with his fleshy hand as he tried to think of a way to win this battle. "Please! Please? Papa Jet! Please? Edward is sorry for running away and promises to never do it again!" she cajoled. "It was Ein's idea!"

Ein let out a disdainful snuff, indignant that his best friend had thrown him under the bus, so to speak.

"Oh, it was, was it?" asked Jet, turning his attention to the Corgi.

The dog whimpered apologetically.

"Please, Papa Jet! Don't make Nikki-Moose suffer!" cried Ed.

"I think he's suffered enough," mumbled Spike in an aside to Faye.

"Poor kid," Faye replied.

"Nikki-Moose will have to jump _back_ onto his snowmobile and _drive_ all the way back to his house, _twenty-two_ miles away, in the freezing, icy cold, snowy, chilly chill!"

_I wonder who she learned **that** from,_ thought Jet and Spike simultaneously.

Ed retreated and threw her arms dramatically around Nikolai, who stood still, silently hoping the girl would win her case. "Don't make him suffer, Papa Jet!" Ed whimpered, giving the man a pair of big, sad, golden, puppy-dog eyes; a look that no paternal figure could resist, not even the rough, stubborn Jet Black.

Sighing, Jet slid his cool metal hand around the back of his neck. "Alright," he said, defeated. "We'll give you a lift home, kid," he said, turning his attention to Nikolai. The boy smiled warmly with relief. "But _just_ a lift home and that's it." Nikolai swallowed hard, nodding in compliance.

"Yay! Hooray! Hooray!" cheered Ed, dancing circles around her guest. Gripping his arm again, she led the boy to the living space. "Come see Edward's home, Nikki-Moose!" she shouted merrily as she disappeared with him.

Jet watched the two of them leave. "You knew about this?" he asked Spike in an irritated tone, not looking in his direction. Faye started to slink off.

"Yeah, we knew," Spike replied, revealing Faye as his co-culprit. She stood still. "We know how you get when you worry," Spike said, averting his eyes from Jet's head. "It's not too pleasant, to say the least," he added coldly. Jet stood silent for a while, letting Spike's words sink in. No doubt it was the younger man's left-handed display of affection coming through. Jet smiled inwardly as he looked over at Spike.

"Well," he said roughly. "Let's set sail."

Spike sighed, raking fingers through his forest hair. "Jet," he called after the man, as he started to go. Jet stopped to turn to his partner. "What are you thinking?" Spike asked quietly. "We're in the middle of a bounty! We don't have time to be making house calls and delivering kids," Spike growled.

"I'm sure you can bag the last two perps without me on your heels," Jet replied calmly. "It shouldn't take too long. I'll take the boy home while you're bringing in the bacon. Or we could drop the kid off on the way to the last location, whatever works best. It won't be hard."

"He can get home by himself," Spike advocated. "He's got a snowmobile, for christ's sake --"

"This is my ship, Spike!" Jet lashed. Spike had dissipated his warm fuzzies as quickly as he'd sparked them. "What I say goes. I don't want an argument from you."

Spike scoffed. "Funny," he said. "Feels more like Ed's ship." He crossed his arms indignantly.

"Stop being selfish, Spike," Jet said sternly, looking Spike angrily in the eye. The younger man stared back, slowly dropping his arms in defeat. "Now if you don't mind," Jet said, turning to leave, "get the kid's vehicle on the ship, wouldja?" With that, he was gone.

Spike watched him leave. He felt hurt, but he wasn't quite sure why. He scratched the back of his fluffy head as he heavily shifted his weight. Turning around, he found Faye, right where he'd left her.

"He probably would have offered to do it himself if you hadn't pissed him off, lunkhead," she smiled haughtily, resting her chin on her delicate hand.

Spike reached for the bottom of his pockets, becoming his cool, collected self again. "I was feeling generous enough to give you the satisfaction of seeing me get the shaft," he replied, unusually longwinded. Faye's eye twinkled.

"You know how much I love when you get the shaft," she said in a sultry tone. She sauntered up to him, slipping her arms around his waist. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached her lips to his. Spike warmly returned the kiss, although he kept his hands in his pockets, depriving Faye's warm, hungry body.

Teasingly pulling away, he looked into her emerald orbs with a smirk. "Your mind is in the gutter, Faye," he said.

"And yours isn't?" she asked, mirroring his expression.

"Frankly, no. Hate to tell ya, but…" he announced with playful pride, as if above the influence.

"You really aren't like other men," Faye chuckled.

"Nope," he replied with a smile. "I guess not." He winked at her, in that classic cowboy style that made her eyes roll. He casually slipped out of Faye's grip toward the hangar of the ship. "Wanna give me a hand with that snowmobile thing?"

* * *

_**Well, here's a bit more of the story. Seeing as though the last chapter I posted was quite short**_, _**this one's longer to help compensate. Heehee! I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop is property of Sunrise Inc. Boy, what I wouldn't give... n.n**_


	28. Detour

Jet sat down at the controls of his ship, glancing out through the windshield for a few seconds before cranking her up for take-off. Just as he was comfortably settling in, Faye strolled into the cockpit. She lethargically made herself at home in the chair next to the bald man. "It has been a _long_ day," she sighed, leaning her weight into the back of the cushy chair. Her hands folded neatly behind her shiny, purple head. Jet glanced in her direction shortly.

"Don't get too comfortable," he said, running his right hand over the cool metal of his left one. "It ain't over yet." Faye crossed her legs tiredly.

"Ugh, please don't remind me," she moaned. Jet chuckled.

"Did Spike get the kid's wheels on board?" he asked.

"I dunno, I think he's workin' on it," she sighed lazily.

"I figured you'd at least help him with that, since you helped him hide Ed's disappearance from me," he replied cynically. Faye ignored the open-ended invitation to a squabble and decided to say something less inflammatory.

"Too tired," she mumbled. "A woman can't over-exert herself, you know." She smirked as Jet raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well," he said, "why don't you do something useful and go keep an eye on the bounty heads?" Faye exhaled heavily in protest.

"Can't Ed do it?" she moaned childishly.

"Ed's got company," Jet smiled. Faye growled as she peeled herself from the chair. "It won't use up too much of your energy," he joked as she dragged her feet out of the cockpit.

* * *

"And this is where Ed likes to hang upside-down!" Ed said gleefully to her houseguest. She held Nikolai's hand and pointed to the pipes along the ceiling of one of the lost corridors.

"Um… cool!" Nikolai said. He thought to himself that hanging upside-down sounded quite immature, but perhaps there was something he was missing. "How do you get all the way up there?" he asked, noticing the height of the corridor in comparison to the height of the girl. Ed grinned diabolically.

"Edward will show you!" she whispered. Giving his hand a gentle tug, she led the now quite curious boy to her secret.

Stopping at a cluster of pipes that clung to the wall, she pointed excitedly. Her finger followed the pipes from the floor to their twisty path along the ceiling. "But that's if Ed wants to do it the easy way," she winked. "Don't tell Spike-person!" she breathed with a giggle after frantically glancing in all directions for anyone who might be listening. Nikolai chuckled at the girl.

"Your secret's safe with me," he said playfully. Ed smiled widely, but soon her attention was caught by the clicking if Ein's canine claws.

"It's Ein," Nikolai said as the Corgi sat calmly.

"Hello, Ein!" Ed cheered. "Ed was just giving Nikki-Moose a tour of Bebop-Bebop!"

Ein barked, wagging his fluffy stub of a tail.

"Does Nikki-Moose like?" Ed asked the boy merrily. As he nodded, Ein continued to speak with Edward.

"Huh?" Ed said. "Spi-Spi wants to talk to Edward and Nikki-Moose?" she asked, squatting to his level.

Her question was confirmed with a yip. Ein panted rapidly as he awaited her reaction.

"Tell Spike-person he has to find us first!" she whispered to the dog. She stood and grabbed Nikolai's arm, prompting him to scurry away with her.

Ein watched them go, perplexed at the girl's energy. To an extent, he could relate. He was a dog. But Ed always was more energetic than the average human.

* * *

Ein trotted into the hangar where Spike was just finishing up getting Nikolai's all-terrain vessel securely into place. He sat down behind the man as he collected himself and announced his arrival with a loud bark. Spike looked at the source of the noise.

"No Ed?" he said lamely. "Way to go, wonder-dog."

Ein sniffed indignantly.

"Hey, them's the breaks," Spike answered. "No one can do everything."

Ein began barking again, getting over Spike's quips.

"Look," said Spike. "I know you're supposed to be smart and all, but I don't understand a word you're saying."

Ein whimpered, laying his head on the cold floor. He was a little exasperated with Spike's lack of comprehension.

"Don't look at me," Spike replied. "You're the one who doesn't speak human."

Ein growled angrily before standing to trot out of the room.

"That dog has almost as much attitude as Faye," Spike said to himself as he watched the small, beige figure retreat.

Ein barked sourly over his shoulder.

"My apologies," said Spike, wearing an amused grin. _Why do I talk to that mutt anyway?_ he thought.

* * *

_**And here is yet another little chappie. Not too much goin' on right now. But not to worry! There's more action to come. Stay tuned!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop and its characters are property of Sunrise Inc. and not me. Otherwise, if you don't recognize it, it's mine. :3**_


	29. Fooling Around On The Job

Faye lounged peacefully on the mustard couch, calmly filing her nails before the trio of bounty heads who sat tethered uncomfortably to a sturdy pipe. With the lot of them tightly gagged, they couldn't even mumble amongst themselves. Henry Clemmons stared in Faye's direction with a sad look of entreaty. Timothy and Oscar had long since forsaken all hope, at least from that devil woman.

Not one to ignore her sadistic desires, Faye had decided to slip into something a little more comfortable. Unlike Spike, she had an affinity for doing something simply because she could. She slouched into the couch; her legs crossed and perched on the edge of the coffee table as a lit cigarette dangled from her lips. She glanced in their direction, her eyes meeting Henry's. "Aww," she said with mock pity. "You wanna get free, huh?" she asked, putting her knees into the cushions and leaning over the arm of the sofa. Henry tried to smile charmingly around his gag. "I'm sorry," she said, feigning sorrow. The ember at the end of her cigarette bounced as her lips moved. "You and your friends are quite valuable to me," she smirked.

"Don't you mean 'us'?" came a familiar voice from the top of the stairs. Faye's eyes traveled up to see the green-haired cowboy smirking down at her. Casually leaning over the railing, he looked below him at the three pairs of boots that sat strapped to the feet of the three captives. "She doesn't share very well," he said to them. Faye rolled her green eyes.

"Pardon me, gentlemen," she cooed as she stood from her post. Her hips swayed as she made her way to the staircase. Spike noticed the legs of one of the bounty heads shift nervously.

As Faye reached the top of the staircase where Spike stood, she slid up to his side, leaning back on the metal banister. "What is it you want, lunkhead?" she asked him.

"Gee, I'm sorry for pulling you away from your very difficult and tedious job," he answered with a grin.

"I followed you up here," she replied, smiling.

"Then I think the question is, what is it _you_ want, shrew?" Faye felt herself becoming slightly aroused as Spike gently removed the cigarette from her red lips and dragged from it as if it was his own. His lips aligned with the pink ring around the filter. She drew nearer to him as he stood arched over the banister.

"Well first of all, gimme that back!" she said, pinching the stick and pulling it out of his mouth. Spike chuckled.

"And…?" he goaded. His gaze aimed forward as he felt her chest against his arm. Faye sighed, shaking her head and side-glancing up at him.

"And, well," she continued. "We haven't had any in a while," she smirked in a hushed voice. Spike grinned.

"Yeah," he said, turning to look in her direction. "How long has it been? Two, three days maybe? I don't even remember what it's like," he joked. Faye huffed, grabbing a hold of his pointy chin.

"Will you shut up?" she growled, pulling his lips down to hers.

"Mmhm," Spike muffled through her kiss. Faye discarded her cigarette over the railing of the landing, not knowing or caring where it would land. With her hands free, she wrapped her thin arms around Spike's neck, anxiously pulling him down onto her. She purred seductively as Spike pulled at her waist. Slowly she let her lips break away from his and began kissing a trail along his jaw. Spike let his head fall back as Faye's lips caressed him. Sometimes he liked when she got her way. "Faye," he whispered hoarsely.

"What?" moaned Faye, her voice vibrating against his skin.

"Don't you have a job to do?" he asked. Faye kissed his earlobe.

"They're not going anywhere," she whispered softly. Just then the couple heard a mix of muffled yelps and kicking as a hot cigarette butt burned a hole into Oscar's pants. Spike peered over the railing as the commotion came to a cease. Faye took a short peek, giggled girlishly, and returned her lips to Spike's skin.

"Faye," Spike moaned as her hands slipped beneath the dark green Members Only jacket he wore.

"Hm?" she replied.

"Right here?" he asked, raking his fingers through the violet fringe about her ears.

"…Yes," answered Faye, her lips still pressed against his neck.

"With kids running around?" he asked. His voice housed a twinge of bitterness. Faye pulled away, slightly annoyed.

"I thought you said you were gonna shut up," she said.

"Yeah, but I didn't say when," he replied with a sly grin. Faye frowned, crossing her arms and sighing heavily. "I'm sorry I'm no exhibitionist like you, Faye," Spike said, with the slightest hint of sympathy.

"Alright, fine!" Faye shouted, in a defeated _I-give-up_ tone. Her hand shot out with lightning speed and retracted with the collar of his jacket in a tight fist. Angrily, she dragged him off, slightly miffed that he wasn't wearing his tie today.

Spike instantaneously became a little more excited. He obeyed helplessly as Faye schlepped him away. "Me and my big mouth," he grinned.

* * *

Edward cartwheeled into the cockpit where Jet sat, with Nikolai close behind her. "Papa!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the big man again. Jet smiled faintly. 

"How was the tour?" he asked the two of them, peeling the girl's arms away.

"I showed Nikki-Moose everything! The whole ship from stem to stern!" she said. "Did Nikki-Moose have fun?" she asked her friend.

"Yes he did," the boy replied with a chuckle. Ed hugged him enthusiastically and he returned the favor. Watching uncomfortably, Jet cleared his throat. Startled, Nikolai retracted his arms at the sound.

"Well," Jet spoke. "I'm no mind reader, kid. Tell me how to get to your house."

* * *

Spike's head reeled as Faye shoved him against the wall of his bedroom. "I don't give a shit about what _you_ want," Faye huffed angrily. "I am going to have you whether you like it or not!" Spike looked down at the determined little woman who glared back at him, unwilling to do anything to stop her. 

"Have it your way," he smirked. He stood in wait, anxious to discover how Faye would conquer him. He was pleased to find that she wasted little time.

Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Faye pulled Spike's face down to hers, bombarding him with rough, sloppy kisses. He winced at the discomfort, sliding his arms around Faye's small waist. As he hugged her into him, her hands groped through his forest mop and down his back. Suddenly he missed the angry fist in his hair.

Faye devoured the skin under Spike's chin, grinning to herself as she felt his breathing become heavier. She pulled away, tearing off his jacket. "You actually have a wardrobe," she said, yanking at the strange fabric.

"Surprised?" Spike panted.

"Vaguely," she replied, flinging the garment forcefully across the room. Immediately she attacked his dark t-shirt.

"Christ, Faye," he whispered on short breath. As he spoke, Faye yanked the shirt over his head, causing him to bite his tongue quite hard. He grunted with the pain, but ignored it as best as he could. He suppressed a grimace as Faye tossed the shirt away.

"Are you enjoying this?" she cooed, placing kisses on his chest.

"Your aggression is killing me," he replied with a smile. He swallowed the small pool of blood that oozed from his wounded tongue, the metallic taste something he was not unaccustomed to. He tugged gently on Faye's purple tresses, indulging in her lust. Her aggression really was to die for. He began to wonder if he actually had died for this. Perhaps. He closed his eyes as he felt himself throbbing for her touch.

Faye ravenously grazed Spike's skin with her lips, all the while conscious of his fingertips on her scalp. "Killing you, huh?" she asked, running her fingers over his chiseled abs. Spike said nothing. He merely nodded, his face against her hair. Faye grinned as she felt his hands traveling the length of her torso and slipping under her tank top. "Well," she said, "prepare to die a painful and aggressive death!" Spike released a silent laugh into her hair as she hurriedly unfastened his belt.

"That was pretty lame," he chuckled.

"So when _are_ you going to shut up?" Faye asked, yanking his belt out of its belt loops.

"Whenever you make me," he replied. He grinned as he spoke, knowing that his words would only goad her on. He waited patiently as she unzipped the zipper on his jeans. Before she went any further, she stopped. Stepping back a few steps she gave him a sexy smirk.

"My turn!" she sang, striking a sultry pose.

"What about me?" said Spike. He looked down at his lower body. Still clothed. He shrugged, raising his palms expectantly.

"All in good time," Faye smiled devilishly.

"You're so cruel to me, Faye," he replied. Not wanting to belabor the moment, Spike obeyed. Rushing forward, he gripped the hem of her top and swiftly pulled it above her head. Faye released a light moan as the cool air caressed her breasts. She ran her fingers through his hair as he pushed down on the waistband of her shorts. Faye chuckled as she helped him, wriggling seductively until the shorts fell with a plop around her ankles.

"Cute," Spike grinned, hugging Faye's naked body against his. As she began to push his jeans down over his hips, Spike took particular notice of the throbbing in his loins intensifying with each movement she made. He gave a gentle sigh of relief as she finally released him from his constraints. Rapidly she stroked him, pressing her chest into his. She traced his collarbone with her tongue as she felt the rise and fall of his chest with increasingly heavy breathing. With his hands cupping her backside, Spike released a moan into Faye's hair. Faye stopped again, cleverly toying with his arousal. Her hand glided from his shoulder down to his fingertips as she backed away, gently giving him a tug in her direction. Spike willingly followed.

Keeping him at arms length, Faye stopped him when the backs of her knees reached his bed. Spike patiently watched her as she spun around, a mad dash of purple swirling before her eyes, and firmly placed her palms down on his mattress. She crawled forward, arching into a play bow. Naturally, being Faye, she made quite a show of it. Slowly she turned her head to face him. "I'm not gonna wait all day, lunkhead," she purred over her shoulder.

Spike stepped closer wearing a grin. He was fairly amused by Faye's antics and very willing to accept her invitation. His relaxed arms gently drew invisible lines up the backs of Faye's thighs, making her shudder. His hands settled on her hips as he came even closer. She wouldn't wait all day. _Maybe just a few more minutes,_ he thought with a smile.

Bending down to Faye's level, he gently kissed the small of her back. His lips followed the incline of her smooth skin to her shoulder blades. "So," he spoke, sliding his hands from her hips to the tops of her thighs. "What happened to your clothes?" Faye scoffed.

"Where have you been for the past couple seconds?" she said, feeling a little annoyed yet again. Spike sighed.

"You didn't wear your PJs in the snow, I don't think," he answered smartly. Faye's eyes closed as she felt Spike's touch creeping over her flesh. She shuddered as he struck a nerve.

"Oh, I… I changed," she answered. "I like to be… comfortable," she said, her voice quivering at the caress of Spike's fingertips.

"You don't have much patience," Spike replied, his breath tickling the nape of Faye's neck.

"How's that?" asked Faye. Spike grinned, tickling the area just below her stomach.

"You just _had_ to get comfortable on your own, didn't you?" he said. Faye didn't answer. His fingertips distracted her from speaking. "If you'd waited a little while longer, I would have given you a hand." Faye quietly giggled as his long fingers traveled along her underside. Spike's face sidled up next to hers. "It would have been fun getting you out of your outdoor clothes," he grinned. His lips grazed her cheek as he spoke. He softly gripped her breast, letting her lift her head in ecstasy as his warm shaft pressed against her delicate folds of pink skin.

Faye's slender fingers contorted into fists around clumps of bed sheet as Spike rubbed himself against her moist vulva. Her head dropped as her body swayed with heavy breathing. "Well next time," she sighed, "don't make me wait so long for you."

"I won't," Spike smiled, pressing his way inside of her. Faye's eyes pinched shut as she released a rough, glottal moan.

* * *

**_Hiya! It's been a while since I posted a lemony chapter, so here's one! Woot! All action and no _action _can't be all that fun, now can it? Don't worry. If this doesn't fulfil your lemony fix, there's more soon to come. :3 Enjoy!_**

**_P.S. Please bear with me through the cheesy diologue. Spike and Faye were feeling a bit more talkative this time around. Heehee!  
_**

**_Cowboy Bebop and its characters don't belong to me, but to Sunrise Inc. Bummer. _**


	30. Pondering

The Bebop lifted off for its short journey to the small town where young Nikolai lived. As Jet punched away at the control panel, he was a little unsure of what to think of this boy. He seemed nice enough. Even Faye didn't seem to have much of a problem with the kid, and she hated kids almost as much as Spike claimed to. But Jet was as stubborn an old dog as any, and he held out with a strong resistance on trusting Nikolai. There was only one factor that made him so untrusting, and this same factor could put his brooding mind at ease.

Edward.

Jet couldn't help but notice that Ed was crazy about the kid. Hell, even Ein liked him. That had to be reason enough to accept him. Jet begrudgingly ruled out that reason. It just wasn't as simple as that.

"Papa Jet! Papa Jet! Papa Papa Papa Jet!" sang the hyperactive little girl as she suddenly bounded into the cockpit from the living quarters. Jet's heart jumped, mostly in surprise, as he heard Ed's beckoning. "Papa Jet, are we there yet?" she asked, performing a handstand. Jet was able to glance into Ed's amber eyes just before they were draped over with the lavender fabric of her favorite skirt. He smiled, looking out through the windshield again.

"Not quite, kid," he replied, masking his fatherly voice with gruffness. "We just took off." Ed rolled off her hands and landed in a sitting position. Her skirt slipped down to its rightful position around her waist as she looked up and out of the window.

"Okey-dokey then!" she said. With that, she spun around, her legging fabric sliding on the smooth metal floor, and somersaulted out of the room. Jet speechlessly stared after her as Ein waddled up to his side. After the girl had gone, Jet tuned into the little dog's claws clicking over the floor.

"Whadda you think, Ein?" Jet asked the pooch. Ein looked up at the burly man, twitching his ears. "You think I'm being unreasonable, boy?"

Ein cocked his head and grumbled.

"I thought so," Jet replied cynically. He was never as good at understanding the dog as Ed was, but he liked to think he and Ein were on the same page. Reclining back into the pilot's chair, Jet rubbed his smooth head in deep contemplation.

Ein stood on his hind legs, resting his front paws on Jet's knee. He panted lightly as his tongue wagged.

Jet noticed the little dog's efforts and his metal hand gave Ein a nice, hearty scratch at the scruff of the neck. Resting his head on the man's thigh, Ein gave a sigh.

Jet responded likewise.

* * *

Nikolai watched speechlessly as Edward harangued the three bound bounty heads. Henry, Timothy and Oscar stared blankly at the strange kid, who was behaving like a guard dog rather than the little girl that she was. Ed stared each one of them in the eyes, alternating between slow and sudden movements. She glared at them, bared her teeth, crawled on top of them and even took a few snaps at the men, all on her hands and knees.

After gnawing on Henry's collar for a few seconds, Ed cartwheeled to her feet and skipped over to the yellow chair where Nikolai had made himself at home. She perched on her knees on the coffee table before the boy, smiling as if all was normal. Of course for Ed, it was.

"Ed…" Nikolai began. He half chuckled as he fished for words to speak. "What… was _that?_" he asked finally. He grinned, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Someone has to do it, Nikki-Moose!" she replied, matter-of-factly.

"I guess Ein's not the one then," Nikolai joked.

"Actually," Ed began in a hushed voice, "Ein did it once, but the bounty man was mean, mean to Ein! Bad, bad man!" Ed frowned indignantly. "So, Edward does it for him!" she smiled gleefully. She drew close to Nikolai's ear to whisper. "Mean bounty men don't do anything to Edward! Edward is so strange they don't know what to think!" Nikolai chuckled as Edward pulled away.

"That's funny," he said. "And it's also very selfless of you, filling in for your dog like that." Ed smiled an adorable smile; she almost looked as if she was expecting a pat on the head. Nikolai even felt compelled to give her one. He laughed instead. Ed gave a giggle in response.

"Sometimes Edward does not like to watch the bounty heads," Ed sighed suddenly. She lay on her stomach over the coffee table, kicking her feet and swishing her skirt as it draped over the edge. She wore a look that almost resembled a frown.

"Oh," said Nikolai. "You don't have to, do you?"

"Nope!" Ed replied after a short pause. "Ed watches them when Ed feels like it! Other times, I can play with Ein, or surf the web, or spy on Jet-person and Faye-Faye, or play tricks on Spike-person, or…" Ed looked down over the edge of the table, her chin resting on her tanned little arm. "Nikki is right! It does get pretty monogamous!"

Nikolai, who had been listening intently, suddenly gave a chuckle. "You mean… monotonous, Ed?" The boy watched her with a smile as the area of red on her cheeks increased in size.

"Aye, that one," she said, nervously grinning.

"Well, that's more excitement than I ever get," Nikolai said, smiling wistfully. He idly reclined in the chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"What does Nikki-Moose do?" Ed asked. She rested her head in the crook of her elbow, looking at the boy curiously.

"Well," he sighed, "I pretty much go to school, come home and help my mom, take care of Il'ya, do my homework and go to sleep, ready to wake up and do the whole thing all over again the next day."

"Boring!" Ed exclaimed with laughter. "But if that's all Nikki-Moose does, why was Nikki-Moose out in the white cold today?" she grinned.

Nikolai looked up in thought. "Not far from my house there's the remains of an old alexandrite mine. Sometimes I like to go out there and see if I can find anything interesting."

"Oh?" Ed inquired.

"Yeah," the boy confirmed. "Once I found a pick-axe in there. Then I found a lantern. I even get lucky enough to find a chunk or two of gemstone every once in a while."

"Oh," said Ed. Her expression was slightly less than gleeful; perhaps thoughtful.

"After all," Nikolai concluded. "It _is_ a Saturday."

* * *

_**Woot! 'Tis my second chapter today! Well, technically right now it is Monday morning... Eh. It's yet another chapter where not much happens, but the last chapter and the next chapter should make up for that. :3 I'm going to bed now. Enjoy!**_

_**The wonderful world of Cowboy Bebop does not belong to me, but to Sunrise Inc. **_


	31. Sore Spot

"Uhh… Spike… Spike!" moaned the violet haired woman as she rapidly approached orgasm. Spike looked down at her porcelain face, catching glimpses of her bejeweled eyes as she opened and closed them. Her nails clawed into his triceps as he plunged deep inside of her. His strong fists grasped the pillow on either side of Faye's raven hair.

Spike panted with each thrust, listening as Faye's calls grew higher and higher in pitch. He closed his eyes, gladly enduring the clawing at his arms. His molasses orbs sprang open again just as a deep, raspy moan emerged from his diaphragm. "Uhhhohhh…" He gasped. "Ahh…!" he exclaimed upon his release.

Faye arched her back and neck. "Aaah!" she shrieked, currents flowing through her body head to toe. Both could feel the throbbing of his manhood gradually dying, the beating soon replaced with pounding hearts.

Clumsily Spike collapsed over Faye, breathing hard. Faye panted audibly into his ear. "Spike…" she heaved with a smile as the feeling returned to her limbs. The nails that had scraped at his skin moments ago now were combing gently through his soft, forest hair. Spike lazily rolled off of Faye's damp body, not letting her reaction as he slowly pulled out of her go unnoticed.

"Faye," he breathed, turning his head to face her. "We gotta stop doing this," he sighed as the euphoria wore off. He laid a hand on top of his stomach, looking at the dark ceiling as his breathing regulated again. Faye smirked.

"Stop doing what?" she said. She rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand. Spike glanced over at her briefly before releasing a chuckle. "What's so funny?" she smiled at him.

"Faye," he said, pulling his fingers through her hair. His countenance grew sincere. "Are you sure you're not a nymphomaniac?" he asked. Faye scoffed.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she shouted defensively. Spike grinned.

"We have so much sex."

"And?"

"And it's usually, if not, always initiated by you." Faye looked at him, wrinkling her brow in confusion.

"Uh, call me crazy, but I see no problem with that," she laughed.

"Ok, crazy," Spike replied, rolling his head back to center.

"Ugh!" Faye shouted angrily, pushing herself upright. "Spike, what is your problem?" she growled. "You're being such a big baby!"

"No I'm not," he protested.

"Oh, boo-hoo! You always get to initiate sex and I don't! Waaah!" the woman teased, putting fists to her eyes and wiping away crocodile tears. "That's not even true!" Spike folded his hands behind his head. "And don't even think about pretending you didn't like it when I grabbed you by the collar twenty minutes ago!"

"I can count on one hand the number of times I've successfully initiated sex with you," he argued.

"You're full of it," Faye replied.

"No," answered Spike. "Ever since we started sleeping together, it has to be about four or five times." Faye rolled her eyes.

"Well, if I left it to you I would never get any sex!" she retorted.

"You'd have better sex!" Spike countered. Faye glanced at him with a puzzled look.

"I can't even begin to fathom how _that_ logic is supposed to work," she said. Spike kept his cool.

"Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder, Faye," he said. He was determined to win this argument. Unlike most couples, Spike and Faye were pretty evenly matched, both armed with quick minds and sharp tongues.

"That's not how it goes!" said Faye, becoming more peeved with him.

"Maybe not, but it still makes perfect sense."

"Care to explain that, cowboy?" she said, flicking up a skeptical eyebrow.

"With pleasure," Spike answered suavely. "You see," he began, "the more we have sex, the more regular it becomes; the more normal it starts to feel." Faye listened, already catching his drift. "If we have less sex, it ends up feeling better every time. I've gone almost four years without sex before, Faye, so you might say I have the upper hand when it comes to will power." Faye raised an eyebrow. "You, on the other hand, seem to have pretty much no will power whatsoever." She scoffed.

"Four years, Spike?" she interrupted. "You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?"

Spike felt wounded. A deadened look veiled his eyes as his heart sank. The woman that he'd grown to care for more than anything else in the galaxy was now doubting his abilities, and even worse, his fidelity to Julia, _and_ to her. He closed his eyes and released an aggravated sigh.

"Believe what you want," he responded coldly. He sat up, angrily looking Faye in her emerald eyes. The fire in his gaze worried her. "Just know that the first time we had sex it was literally the most amazing thing I'd ever felt. And it wasn't entirely because of you." Now it was Faye's turn to be hurt, but she said nothing. Furrowing her brow, she watched as Spike climbed to his knees and began crawling menacingly toward her. "Funny thing about sex, Faye," he growled. Faye scooted away from him until her back touched the icy metal wall behind her. "You just never know," he continued, roughly prying her knees apart, "how much," he poised himself at her entrance, "you _greatly_…"

"Uhh!"

"_appreciate_…"

"Nnh!"

"_it_…"

"Ah!"

"… until you think it's gone."

Slowly he withdrew from her, still staring her in the face. The scorching flame in his eyes seemed to die down to a fizzle. He suddenly backed away and began searching for his boxers. Faye sat motionless on his bed against the wall, left shaken by his powerful words. She stared at him, watching as he grabbed a towel instead. Finally, as if returning to life, she spoke.

"Spike, I … I'm…"

Spike didn't answer, but opened the door and headed for the shower. As the door slid to a gentle close, Faye found herself alone with her shock.

* * *

_**Lemony angst! Was that just me, writing an angsty chapter? I didn't know such a thing was possible! Heehee! Woah. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I can't decide whether Spike's being OOC or not... What do you think?**_

_**Cowboy Bebop belongs to Sunrise Inc! No suing please!**_


	32. Paternity Test

"Papa!" shouted Edward as she ran awkwardly back into the cockpit. Jet jumped.

"What, Ed?" he growled. His pounding heart thumped in his ears. He turned to face her wearing his usual grouchy countenance. The girl ignored his facade and spoke.

"Papa!" she said again. Her voice was quieter. "Nikki-Moose knows where the mine is! Nikki can help Bebop-Bebop find the bounties! We can _investigate_!" she whispered excitedly. Jet sat back in his chair.

"But Ed, we already know where the last two are. Faye got us the info."

"Faye-Faye did?" inquired the girl. Jet nodded. "But what about the _evidence_?" she persisted. Jet shook his head.

"We don't need any evidence," he said with a calm relief. Having been in the police force, he was familiar with the concept of evidence, but he hadn't forgotten the hassle involved. However, he admired her willingness to do things the old-fashioned way. "The last two bounty heads are as good as ours." He leaned forward, resting his bearded chin on his right hand. "Now if only _those two_ would hurry up, maybe we could catch them before _someone else_ does," he grumbled. Ed looked deflated.

"Awww," she moaned. Jet caught a glimpse of her sad face before she was her happy and hopeful self again. "Well, can Nikki-Moose stay on Bebop-Bebop with Ed? At least for a little while longer?" she pleaded. Jet sighed.

_Shoulda seen that coming,_ he thought. "And just how long would that be?" he asked the hacker.

"Until Spi-person and Faye-Faye catch the bounty heads?" she blinked.

"No."

"How 'bout till we collect the reward?"

"Ed,"

"Please, Captain Papa Jet-person sir?" Ed was now on her knees, coiling her constrictor arms around Jet's leg.

"No, Ed," he replied simply, staring straight ahead through the windshield. He avoided looking into those fiery amber eyes, which made him do strange things. He hated to admit it, but he was rapidly melting into putty in Edward's hands, and Spike had been the first to notice it.

"Nikki-Moose is my friend," the girl whimpered.

"You just met the kid, Ed. How do you know that?" he asked, more gently.

"Because Nikki-Moose is nicer to Edward than anyone has ever, ever been! Nikki is like Super Friend! I thought you would like him. It's why I brought Nikki-Moose home with me." Jet ventured a look into her eyes and was glad to see that she was smiling. But he noticed a small glimmer of something he hadn't ever seen in her before.

The man looked away again, wearing a thoughtful face as he glanced out over the snow. He heavily exhaled, returning his gaze to the girl at his feet. "Ed, lemme tell you something," he sighed. Grabbing a hold of one of Ed's hands, he gently tugged her into a stand.

"Hm?" Ed said, scrambling to her feet.

"Now I know you like this kid, Ed," he began, "but we can't just take him with us." Ed listened, cocking her head. "It's a different situation than it was with everyone else on the ship." Ed nodded. "Spike agreed to come along with me, we found Ein on a lucky bounty chase, and you and Faye just sorta hitched a ride with us." Ed pouted her bottom lip playfully. "Nikolai has family and friends on Earth that love him and need him to stay here."

"Ed has family on Earth too," said Ed. "I just chose to leave father-person behind because he had no time for Ed."

"How do you know Nikolai wants to leave his family?" Ed nodded. She had forgotten that Nikolai wasn't alone in the world like she had been. She brightened.

"Papa-Jet?" she asked. Jet gave her his full attention. "Can Nikki-Moose stay on Bebop-Bebop if he _wants_ to?" she grinned. "I like Nikki-Moose!"

Jet had known all along that this was coming. He just wished he hadn't been in such denial. Preparation might have been nice too. So he did what he knew best.

"Ed," he said, "you know we don't get too many bounties. We hardly get enough money to feed _you_. You think it'd be easy with one more mouth to feed?"

Ed pouted. Jet methodically rubbed his bald head.

"I feel bad enough letting you starve," he continued, with a new approach. "I'm thinking of what's best for everyone." Ed blinked. "And besides, he's a growing boy. It'd be like having _three_ Spikes on board, you being the second one," he accused. "He'd eat much better at home."

"Ed knows," answered the girl. "But what if Nikki-Moose really, _really_ wanted to stay here with Ed?" she smiled. "Could he?" Jet sighed.

"Now that's not my decision to make, is it?" he replied, turning his attention to the control panel, poking at arbitrary buttons.

Ed grinned widely, hopping up and down and clasping her tanned hands under her chin. "Papa!" she shouted happily, throwing her arms around his neck. Jet fell victim to her hug, patiently waiting until she would free his windpipe. He restored his breath as she released him and cartwheeled out of the cockpit.

Jet was only vaguely aware of what he'd said to make her so happy. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to gain yet another crewmember because of it. He slid his cool metal hand over his smooth head and down his neck. _If this is what parenting is like, somebody kill me,_ he thought.

* * *

_**And here we have more of our cute little Edward to kill the angst caused by the ever angsty Spike and Faye. I just can't get enough of her! But appearantly Jet can. Ha! Ah, young love...**_

_**Cowboy Bebop doesn't belong to me, but to Sunrise Inc. **_


	33. Coming To Terms

On the dark, damp, fragrant fabric that was sprawled haplessly across Spike's bed, Faye lay in a ball of doubt and confusion. She hadn't moved from her spot since he'd left the room. The conversation the two of them shared earlier looped on a constant reel inside her head. Each time she silently cursed herself for her thoughtless words. _You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?_ She scrunched her eyes shut. The words echoed and repeated, taunting her. _Believe what you want._ Alone these words would sound harmless to the average bystander. But by uttering this simple question, Faye had single-handedly injured the fragile ego of the man she cared about the most. Only once before had she seen such pain and anger in his eyes, and it didn't frighten her any less now than it had before. Her head ached. Her heart clenched. She couldn't bear to be there in his bed much longer.

Groggily, Faye got up and gathered her clothes. Her throat throbbed with fighting back sobs. After she was dressed, she straightened herself out in Spike's mirror. She smoothed her hair and wiped away as many tears and as much sadness from her eyes as she could. Then, as if trying not to wake a sleeping giant, she crept out of his room and down the hall to safety.

"Faye-Faye!" came the shrill little voice that sent a shock down her spine. Faye slowly came to a halt and turned to face the little redhead, who came bounding up the metal stairs to greet her.

"What?" she asked grumpily.

"Faye-Faye," Ed said, skipping up to the woman. "You look sad." She looked at Faye with a sincere concern. Faye scowled at the girl, choosing not to respond. Ed fearlessly wrapped her arms around the distraught woman, trying her best to give comfort. "Why? Faye-Faye sounded happy a couple minutes ago!"

"Eavesdrop much, Ed?" Faye grumbled angrily.

"Spi-person's door is not too sound proof," the girl answered knowingly.

"Ugh," Faye groaned, slapping her hand over her face as she started walking away.

"Faye-Faye, wait!" Ed harassed, rushing after her. "Why is Faye-Faye sad now?"

"None of your business," Faye sighed.

"Faye-Faye?"

"What is it, twerp?"

"… What does Faye-Faye's happy feel like?" the girl asked with a nervous sincerity. Faye stopped walking and looked Edward in the eye, wearing an awkward expression.

"Um," she articulated, "I'll tell you later, ok?" She gave the kid a weak smile before turning to walk onward.

"Okey-dokey, artichokey!" Ed sang after the violet haired woman. Her enthusiasm was answered with the swift slam of Faye's door.

* * *

Spike turned the shower knob, slowly causing the tepid water to drip to a stop. He stood for a short while, letting water droplets trickle from his thick, green tendrils and flow over his nose and cheeks. Normally, the shower was one of the places Spike could go and be at peace. He could escape all of his problems by washing them down the drain. But this time, his mind wouldn't stop racing. All he could think about was Faye. He rested his hot forehead against the cold tile wall of the shower. _What's wrong with me?_ He pressed the palms of his hands into the wall in front of him. _Jet always said I had anger issues._ Pushing himself away from the cold wall, Spike looked at his hands that stayed plastered there. _What have I done this time?_ He peeled his hands off the wall, turning them to look at his palms. With a sigh, he plopped back against the tile surface, looking ahead of him at the corner of the tiled cell, where he and Faye had made passionate love countless times before. He smirked faintly at the thought of her sharp nails clawing at his back. "God I love her," he whispered to himself. He opened the curtain and grabbed his towel.

Spike slunk down the hall to the room in which he last saw Faye. He reached for the door handle as he violently tousled his hair with a damp towel. Stepping in and easing the door shut, he looked over at his bed. He'd half expected her to still be there, waiting for him.

* * *

Nikolai sat perched on the edge of the yellow sofa. He wasn't too sure he was comfortable sitting in a room with three bounty heads tethered in a corner. What amazed him was the fact that the crewmembers of the Bebop tended to ignore them as if they were decorative floor lamps. He tried to make himself as comfortable as he could while Ed showed him how she could hack away on her tomato.

"_Twenty-twenty two-two, eighty-eighty teen-teen_!" the girl rhymed when she'd finished hacking into the computer system of the Palatz. She applauded herself for finding the room number Johnathan Gu occupied. Ed glanced up at the boy and noticed his nose wrinkle in thought as he looked at the name on Ed's computer screen.

"Nikki-Moose need not worry about those guys," she said, looking up at him from her position on the floor.

"Heh, who's worrying?" the boy joked with a smile. Ed laughed, instantly lightening Nikolai's heart.

"Want Ed to sit with you?" the hacker asked. "Ed knows Nikki is ok, but my butt needs cushioning!" she grinned. Nikolai chuckled.

"It's your house," the boy said. Gleefully, Ed climbed onto the couch next to him, folding her long legs neatly under her.

"Comfy comfy couch!" she laughed. The two exchanged grins. "You smell nicer than Spike-person," she observed randomly. Nikolai gave a humble smile.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," he murmured. He relaxed as Edward rocked herself to and fro. She was never one used to staying still. The cushions, worn out by the rest of the Bebop crew, gave her even less of a stable surface. Nikolai chuckled as Ed ignored the lumpy seat and continued to fall from side to side.

"Ed never sits on the sofa," she announced. "I like to move from place to place to place to place," she said with a smile. "And Spike-person, Papa Jet and Faye-Faye always hog the cushy cushions," she tagged.

"Aww," replied the boy. As he fought back the urge to pet the silly girl rocking beside him, he was startled by the sound of footsteps on the metal stairs.

"You're in my seat," Spike grumbled. Nikolai stirred.

"Uh, s-sorry--"

"No we're not!" interjected Edward, stopping Nikolai from moving. "We are in Faye-Faye's seat!" she grinned, looking innocently up into the bounty hunter's strange orbs.

Spike rolled his eyes and slumped over to the other end of the couch, pulling out a cigarette. _Kids_, he thought. Without uttering another word, he propped his feet onto the coffee table and reclined as if nothing had changed.

Ed hurriedly hopped over Nikolai and to the middle of the sofa, fitting neatly between him and Spike. "So, speaking of Faye-Faye, Spi-person," she said, as seriously as she could. Spike merely turned slightly to look at the redheaded hacker, lifting an eyebrow. "Why is Faye-Faye sad? She sounded _very_ happy before!" Spike froze, but only for a split second before closing his eyes and heaving a heavy, disturbed sigh.

"I dunno, Ed," he said vaguely. "Maybe it was something I did."

"Oooooh! Spike-person!" exclaimed the girl. "What did you do?" Her eyes glittered as she awaited an answer. Spike cringed.

"Nothing you should worry about," he answered simply.

"Oh, please please please please _please!_ Spi-Spi, tell me! Tell Edward! Tell tell tell!"

"Did anyone ever _tell_ you how annoying you are?"

"Nope, only you, Spi-person!" Ed sang merrily.

"I don't believe that for a second," Spike mumbled.

"Now you tell Edward all about it!" she said eagerly, in a way that reminded Spike of every example of Freud he'd ever seen. Spike ignored the bouncing ball of fire, hanging his head over the back of the sofa. Rubbing his face, he heard Jet entering the room.

"Well," he said. "We're here." Nikolai looked over at the burly man from the yellow couch, and then at Edward.

"Nikki's house!" the girl exclaimed, springing off of the sofa. Spike exhaled a sigh of relief and took another drag of nicotine.

Nikolai followed Edward up and away to the place where she had stashed his outerwear. Spike and Jet were soon left alone in the common area. Spike stretched his long limbs, sending a satisfying procession of cracks along his vertebrae. "Ahhh," he sighed. "You saved my ass again, Jet." Jet chuckled.

"Kids too much for ya?" he asked playfully.

"Eh," Spike shrugged.

"I see." Jet walked around the coffee table, making his way to the yellow chair.  
"I thought you hated kids," he asked.

"I do," Spike replied. "I guess I just like to take kids on a case-by-case basis."

"Hmph! Yeah right," Jet chuckled, cushioning the back of his bald head with his hands.

"Well," Spike said. "That Nikolai kid isn't half bad."

"You like him too, huh?" Jet said, sounding a little disillusioned.

"Well, he is a hell of a lot quieter than Ed," Spike smirked. "Why?" Jet leaned forward, putting his bearded face in his hands.

"I dunno," he muffled through his metallic mask. "I guess it's just that… Ed seems to like that boy so much. I, uh, … I just don't want her to get hurt, that's all." He smoothed his hands over his face and slouched back into the chair.

"Aww," teased Spike. "You sound just like a dad." Jet furrowed his brow.

"I care about the kid! Is that so wrong?" he growled.

"No one said it was. Besides, admitting it is the first step," Spike smiled. Jet crossed his arms indignantly. "You look tough as nails, Jet, but you're really just a big teddy bear at heart."

"I mean, don't you feel the same way about Edward as I do?" Jet blurted, and immediately cringed at his own words. There was a long pause. All the while Jet was uneasy about what Spike might say.

"… I'd be lying if I said I didn't." Spike finally replied, almost philosophically.

Jet was very uncomfortable throughout the entire conversation, but Spike's words had made him feel better rather than worse. He wasn't used to sharing his feelings with Spike, mainly because Spike shared so little himself. But this was something big, something important that he just had to get out, and now had the confidence to do so. Ed's happiness depended on his feelings.

"I … I love Ed, Spike."

"Excuse me? What was that?" Spike poked, putting a hand to his ear.

"You heard me!" Jet snarled.

"Take it easy, Jet. I'm only kidding," Spike grinned. Jet eased up a little.

Spike wondered if he should share what had been plaguing his mind at the moment. It would be only fair, since Jet had just exposed himself to the elements. After a thought, he decided against it. It was something he could fix on his own. Right?

"Uh, why don't we go get that kid's ride, huh?" said Jet, changing the subject. He felt he had shared enough sentiment to last him a lifetime.

"Sounds like a plan," Spike replied. He followed the brawny Jet out of the living space to the hangar, both men walking in silence.

* * *

_**Here's my latest chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! I've tried to post it three or four times now, but last night the site was acting funky. But here it is now! Enjoy!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop is property of Sunrise Inc. not me. **_


	34. House Guest Number Two

Faye cautiously came tripping down the metal stairs, dressed in her winter garb again. As she entered the living space, she realized that she was all alone. Aside from Henry, Oscar and Timothy, there was no one there, not even Ein. "Looks like it's just you and me again, huh boys?" she said to the bounty heads as she strutted to the couch. The men ignored her as she attempted to taunt them, one of them even rolling his eyes; she thought perhaps it was because they could see less skin than she'd shown them before. She walked through the room in the direction of the kitchen. Her rough day had left her savagely hungry.

The refrigerator wasn't too bare, at least not as bare as it usually was, but it might as well have been. Faye looked around the food items to find something more appealing, but nothing seemed to be worth her effort. There wasn't even a piece of fruit she could snack on. She was in no mood to cook or reheat or even assemble anything. She was inclined to give up, but her stomach wouldn't let her.

She rummaged about, elbow deep in the cold box, deciding what would be the lesser of evils when Spike strolled into the room. "Ready to go yet?" he asked. Faye stood a long while before she turned to look at him. He stood on the threshold with a lit cigarette between his lips. His face held no emotion.

"'M starving," Faye replied. She turned and went back into the fridge. Spike walked over to her side and peered in beyond her and the door. Faye observed as he reached in and retracted a container filled with leftover bell peppers and beef. It was rare that they had so much remaining, and quite a miracle that kept Edward from eating it all.

Faye absently followed Spike out of the refrigerator, hoping that he would prepare her a meal, in spite of the tension that tangibly filled the room. "Have a seat," Spike said, grabbing a dish from the cabinet. Silently, Faye obliged. She watched as he searched for a fork, and scooped a small serving out for her. He plopped the plate into the microwave, an appliance very rarely used, and set the timer. As the Pyrex turntable began to rotate, he turned to look at Faye, who quickly averted her gaze from his.

Spike gave a gentle smile, stepping up to her and quietly offering her a cigarette. She looked up at him, reaching out a hand to retrieve the stick, accepting his preliminary peace offering. He held out his lighter, a two-toned flame lightly flickering at the top.

"Thanks," mumbled Faye.

* * *

Jet rubbed the back of his neck nervously, gazing up at the darkened sky as he, Ed and Nikolai stood before the snow-veiled dome in the ground. The boy led his company inside, performing the same routine he had done earlier. "Maate," he called, draping his coat on the mounted hook by the door again.

Edward grinned up into Jet's steely grey eyes, making him feel more at ease. After Nikolai asked if he wouldn't mind stepping inside for a while, Ed absolutely insisted that he did. There was no turning back.

Nikolai wandered into his home with Edward happily on his heels. Jet followed idly, admiring the unexpectedly bright and comforting atmosphere of the subterranean home. As he peered at a picture sitting in a neat frame on a foyer table featuring Nikolai, a younger boy and a woman with striking features, he saw a backlit silhouette emerge from the kitchen.

"Nikolai, prevet," the figure replied. Jet immediately identified her as the woman from the picture. It was Sasha. "Edward! I thought you'd gone home!" she said with delighted surprise in her voice. Ed grinned with a giggle. She gripped Jet's metal hand and swung it back and forth with practiced ease. As Sasha's eyes met his, he swiftly removed his hat. "And who might you be, sir?" she asked him, subduing her delighted smile to a demure, charming one.

"Ms. Sashasha," Ed spoke. "Meet Papa Jet-person!"

"It's a pleasure," Jet said, courteously dipping his head. Sasha held out her hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Jet! My name is Sasha. You must be Edward's father?" she inquired cheerfully. Jet rubbed his head.

"Well-- technically… not exactly…" he fumbled, his cheeks blushing. Sasha waited patiently for an explanation, but Edward beat him to the punch.

"Jet-person, Spi-person and Faye-Faye found Ed!" the girl interjected.

"Well actually, Ed here found us," Jet smiled, gently placing his hardware hand on the girl's orange hair. Ed replied with a giggle.

"Would you like something to warm you up?" Sasha asked him generously. "Tea, coffee, hot chocolate perhaps?"

"Well, uh…" Jet began, looking over at Edward and realizing that she had vanished from sight. She was good at that. "If it isn't any trouble."

* * *

_**I just love Ed! She's just so cute and adoreable and can get Jet to do just about anything! Never underestimate the power of a girl, ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop was created by and is owned by Sunrise Inc. **_


	35. All Apologies

The Swordfish II and the Redtail cruised side by side over the sparkling snow. Jet had been thorough about everything, graciously leaving coordinates of the location Ed had found on the monitor of the main computer before he left the ship, along with the room number information. Faye was a little less than grateful for that. She just saw it as Jet's way of getting them to move faster.

There was hardly any communication between the two ships as they soared through the night sky to the location. All that could be heard was the gentile whirr of the two engines harmonizing with one another. Suddenly an elaborately decorated sign could be seen, indicating that they were approaching their destination. "There's the place," Spike said through the intercom system. Faye grinned at the sight of the Palatz.

"Showtime!" she sang happily. Spike smiled at her.

The two decided subtlety wasn't a very big issue this time, and landed their ships near the edge of the parking garage. Faye sat in her Redtail, looking at the grandiose hotel wearing a childish grin. Spike hopped out of his mono racer and walked around to where Faye would emerge. He was practically under her when she jumped down. "I haven't seen you this excited before," he smirked. Faye sighed, looking up at him.

"Let's get in there," she said, rubbing the cold away from her arms. She walked ahead, leaving Spike to follow her.

Faye confidently strode into the grand lobby, assuredly swaying her hips as Spike strolled close behind. She presented herself as if she were a jet-setting celebrity, giving a swish of a wave to the young woman behind the lobby desk. Spike inwardly smiled, thinking that this was hardly an act for Faye. Then again, he wasn't putting up much of a front either. Deciding to play it up, he threw a wink to the girl behind the desk. When she responded with a shy grin and reddened cheeks, he sported an accomplished smirk, slipping a hand around Faye's waist.

Faye was surprised by his touch, but gave her own little grin in response as they kept walking. Stopping in front of the hall of elevators, Faye pressed the down button, watching it turn bright yellow. Spike stood with his hands in his pockets, fighting the urge to light up. He looked down the hallway in both directions before glancing down at the woman beside him. She absently looked up at the floor display on each of the four elevators, watching as the little numbers brightened and dimmed as the lift passed them.

Spike released a quiet sigh. He thought about what had happened earlier that day in his room. Both of them had been beating around the bush ever since then, or rather, avoiding the bush all together. He was in such deep thought that he hardly noticed when Faye glanced up at him just as the elevator doors opened with a soft ping. She stepped toward the lift but Spike gently gripped her waist, holding her back. "Excited, honey?" he asked her as three people emerged from the elevator. His voice held only some of the sarcastic bite it usually did when he would mockingly call her pet names. Faye chuckled.

"A little bit, sweetie," she replied, allowing herself to be pulled into his embrace. She watched the three people go, two women and a man, all dressed in swimsuits and carrying towels, and deeply submerged in conversation. Territorially, she glanced up at Spike, who had already begun to step past her and into the elevator car. "Wonder where they're going," she commented, following him in.

Spike pressed the 'close door' button as soon as Faye had stepped inside. "Have you forgiven me yet, Faye?" he asked when they were enclosed and alone. He stood looking at her hopefully, his thumb still on the same button. Faye's heart jumped.

"I thought I was the one who needed forgiveness," she nervously replied. She watched as Spike gave a puzzled look. "I didn't think… before I said what set you off." Spike looked down at his boots. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," said Faye, stepping toward him. "I'm sorry."

Spike was still a little confused. According to past experience, Faye would normally have been ladling blame down his throat by now, only to demurely accept the apology she would weedle out of him in order to get him back between the sheets. Needless to say, this was quite unusual.

"N-no. Faye," Spike said hurriedly. Although it would be a nice change, he decided not to let her take all the heat. He gripped Faye's shoulders, looking down between their bodies and contemplating what he would say. He gave a sigh and looked into Faye's awaiting emerald eyes.

"What, Spike? Out with it!" she rushed him.

"Ugh," Spike growled, lightly squeezing her shoulders in his grip. He rested his forehead against hers. Faye looked at him, glancing downward once in a while to avoid snickering. "Faye, I flew off the handle," he spat. Breathing, he cautiously slowed his speech. "I hurt you, Faye. I can't do that to you again." Faye gave him a smile.

_He sure is cute when he's sorry,_ she thought. "Apology accepted," she said, catching her reflection in his mismatched eyes. She touched her nose to his. "It actually felt kinda good," she grinned. Spike gave a sigh, neither of them quite sure what it meant. "Just don't scare me like that again, ok lunkhead?" Spike smiled. The name that used to find him with complete disregard was now a sweet term of endearment, something he longed to hear.

"Ok, shrew." Spike felt her chilly hands caress his cheeks. She stretched out her long neck to give him a full, warm kiss. Spike wrapped an arm around her, pulling the woman's contoured body in against his. He wished he could feel more of her curves; the layers of thick outerwear shielded her from him.

"I hate when we fight," Faye whispered against his mouth. Spike grinned.

"You call that a fight?" he joked, kissing her soft cheek. Faye giggled as he backed her into the corner, slipping off her coat.

The idle elevator sounded another ping, startling the occupants and threatening to open the doors for more passengers. Spike turned and quickly pressed the button for the 22nd floor. As he returned to Faye's arms, she stopped him. "Wait," she said. Spike released her as she moved toward the button panel. He watched, shaking his head in disbelief as she activated every last button, the wall of lights glowing a dim yellow. Smiling, she went back to her corner, hooking Spike in by the neck.

"You are a piece of work, Faye," he said, letting her claw off his puffy coat.

* * *

_**Yay, they made up! That wasn't too bad. Spike's apparently no good with apologies, but lucky for him, Faye was all too willing to forgive and forget. Stick around; the next chapter promises to be very interesting and plot-advancing! You don't wanna miss it! Next time, on Breeze of Change!**_

_**Wait... this isn't TV...**_

_**Ok. Cowboy Bebop is not mine! It belongs to Sunrise Inc. **_


	36. At Last!

After roughly fifteen minutes, the elevator made its final ping. Spike glanced up at the number display; floor twenty-two. Reluctantly, he pulled Faye off of him. "Go time," he smiled as the doors began to slide open.

"Let's do it," she replied with a sigh. When she looked up at him, the lusty twinkle in her eye had returned. Spike knew that as her love for money.

The elevator door opened at last and Spike and Faye beheld a man awaiting a trip to the top. Faye gave a smile. The man's round face was veiled with thick, black, shiny hair, which he briefly tossed aside to reveal dark, almond eyes. "Hey," he said with a charming smile.

"Hi!" Faye said.

"Yo," greeted Spike.

Both recognized him on the spot: Johnathan Gu. He sported a pair of blue swim trunks and gripped the ends of a towel that draped over his shoulders. He stepped into the elevator, black flip-flops smacking against his heels as he walked. Once inside, he turned and pressed the button for the ground floor. Spike and Faye stood patiently as the doors closed again.

Gu cheerfully turned to the couple standing behind him. "So," he began with a tired sigh. "You two escaping on a romantic getaway?" Faye shyly grinned, stepping closer to Spike's side.

"Something like that," smiled Spike, draping an arm around her shoulders. The two looked at each other, affection a mask for their silent communication.

_Let's play along, shall we?_ asked the chocolate eyes.

_Sounds like fun,_ replied the emerald ones.

"Heh, me too!" Gu replied as the elevator began its ascension.

"So, where's_ your_ other half?" asked Spike. Faye eyed him, recognizing the sprinkle of sarcasm that tainted his voice.

"Waiting up by the pool," Gu smiled with anticipation.

"The pool? In this weather?" asked Faye.

"You guys are staying at the Palatz and you don't know about the indoor, heated swimming pool and jacuzzi on the top floor?" Faye looked as if she'd been had. "I guess you guys don't have your bathing suits," Gu said, sounding disappointed. "It would have been nice if you two could join us."

"Yeah," said Faye. "I keep telling him it's a good idea to bring your bathing suit no matter where you go, but does he ever listen?" she complained, hooking a thumb over her shoulder at Spike. He rolled his eyes, running his long fingers through his hair.

"A married couple, eh?" Gu smiled.

"You could say that," Spike carefully replied. Gu chuckled as the elevator came to a stop at the top floor. "Well, we'll definitely pay you two a visit," said Spike as Gu stepped toward the opening doors.

"You should. It's Saturday. They're serving free champagne tonight!" Faye's jaw dropped. "See you later," said Gu, waving as he walked off toward the lobby.

Spike gave a farewell nod, slipping a hand in his pocket. The door slid closed again. "I like champagne," said Faye wistfully.

"Yeah, I know," Spike replied. Faye remained pressed to his side, feeling warm and comfortable.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked him.

"We've found Gu, but we don't know for sure where the last guy, McDavitt is," speculated Spike. "I say we go back down to the room and see if he's there." Faye looked confident about something, of what, Spike was unsure.

"I dunno," she replied. "I think he's down at the pool too."

"Mixing business with pleasure."

"It has been done. Besides," said Faye. "It'd be easier if we caught them in the same place, right?" Spike smiled.

"The hard way is more fun," he smirked.

* * *

Johnathan Gu walked down the corridor to the heated pool area. Sidestepping all the people that dotted the patio, he made his way to the jacuzzi. Sitting on the edge, he dipped his feet into the hot, bubbling water. 

"Hey, Johnny," said a blonde from across the round tub. "What's the matter? You look worried." Johnathan gave a sigh.

"I think they're on to us, Ev," he replied.

"Oh? Bounty hunters?" Ev asked.

"Yup."

"How do you know?"

"You know Spike Spiegel?"

"_The_ Spike Spiegel?" exclaimed Ev cheerfully.

"Uh-huh. I ran into him and his partner in the elevator," Johnathan smiled.

"Wow. He is one gorgeous man, or my name isn't Evan J. McDavitt!" Johnathan smiled, setting his towel aside and slipping into the water. Evan scooted around the circular bench to where Johnathan had settled.

"You seem awfully excited for someone who might be getting nabbed," smiled Johnathan.

"Who wouldn't be glad to be nabbed by _him_?" the blonde replied with a grin. Johnathan nodded his head in reluctant agreement. "So tell me, Johnny," Ev said eagerly, blinking his vibrant blue eyes. "Is Mr. Spiegel as cute in person as he is in the tabloids?"

"And then some," Johnathan answered.

"Ooh!" Evan exclaimed, practically bouncing in anticipation. "He can slap the cuffs on me anytime!"

"I thought that was my job," grinned Gu, cradling Evan's chin in his hand. He leaned toward him, gently pressing his lips against his. Evan smiled into the kiss. The two slowly pulled away, Evan struggling to see Johnathan's dark eyes through his black swish of bangs.

"If you ever die, he gets first dibs!"

* * *

_**Oooh! Finally we get to meet Johnathan Gu! He and his partner in crime, Evan McDavitt, are quite the characters, aren't they? I especially love McDavitt. If he wasn't part of a major crime fiasco, he'd be pretty cool. But I guess it's a living!  
**_

_**Cowboy Bebop is not mine, but property of Sunrise Inc, except for Johnathan Gu and Evan McDavitt, whose character design is solely mine! Enjoy!  
**_


	37. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Jet reclined comfortably on Sasha's white sofa, resting a nice hot mug of coffee on his knee. He looked around at the cheerful, yellow walls as he and his hostess talked. "Where did you say you were from, Jet?" Sasha asked politely, taking a sip from her own mug.

"I was born and raised on Ganymede," he replied. "It's a pretty nice place. Lots of water, really quite peaceful." Sasha nodded with interest.

"Ganymede… that's a moon of Jupiter, am I right?" she asked.

"Mmhm," the man replied, inhaling the warm aroma wafting from his mug. Suddenly, the comm. at his hip began to beep, startling him. "Uh, excuse me for a sec," he said, lurching to his feet. Sasha obliged with a nod and a wave. Jet's heavy boots carried him to the edge of the room. Pressing the button, he answered. "Yeah?"

"Ahoy, Jet-person!" came Ed's fuzzed voice.

"Ed?" asked Jet. "Where did you go?"

"Ed is downstairs! Downstairs with Nikki-Moose!" she sang cheerfully. Jet's heart jumped and a startled look sprang to his face. He knew where she was, but never really thought about any implications until just now. "Ed gets to see Nikki's computer!" Just then he heard another voice.

"I wanna see, I wanna see!" came the voice of a six-year-old boy. Jet breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay, Il'ya!" said Ed. The girl's comm. panned down to show the little kid's face.

"Hi, Jet-person!" Il'ya shouted excitedly, waving a sporadic hand. Jet chuckled nervously.

"Hi there," he answered. Soon he saw Edward's smiling face again.

"Silly boy!" she said, laughing. "If he really wanted to meet you he could have gone upstairs to see you in person!"

"That is a good option," Jet replied, rubbing his neck with his cool metal hand.

"Fare thee well, Papa Jet! Ed will see you soon!"

"Wait--" Jet called, but the crazy girl had already disconnected. Sighing, he put his comm. away again. When he turned back into the living room, Sasha was sipping her warm coffee. She looked up at him, giving a sympathetic smile.

"Ah, kids," she said laughingly. "My Nikolai is like that sometimes too." Jet walked back to his seat, resuming his cup of coffee. "So whimsical and adventurous," she continued. "Sometimes you worry about them, you know?" Jet gave her an empathetic grin.

"I think I know what you mean," he replied.

* * *

Spike and Faye traveled back down to the 22nd floor of the Palatz. Having allowed the elevator to travel at its regular speed, the two stepped out of the lift. They turned to the right, following the direction of the conveniently placed directory sign.

They walked swiftly, Faye ahead and Spike one step behind her. "If McDavitt's in there, we'll keep him company until Gu gets back," she said with a smile. Spike nodded, although she couldn't see him behind her. Finally they rounded one last corner and found themselves at their destination.

"Here we are," Spike sighed as they reached the door marked 2218. Faye's eyes twinkled with excitement.

"We need a way to get inside," she said, looking around for ideas. Coming up short, she whipped out her trusty Glock and aimed it at the doorknob.

"Hold it," Spike said, grabbing her wrist. "Let's not get too hasty." Faye watched as he reached into his pocket, pulling out one card key.

"Where did you…?" Faye questioned, looking up at Spike. He piqued an eyebrow cockily as he popped the card into the slot. "You little sneak, you!" Faye grinned. "You know, you should play poker more often." Spike shook his head, fishing out his Jericho.

"I don't cheat, Faye," he murmured.

"No, but you steal," Faye replied cynically. Spike sighed, rolling his dark eyes.

"Ready?" he asked her, cocking the safety.

"Born that way," replied Faye, holding her gun in an upright position.

The two of them burst through the door, guns aimed and ready to shoot. Spike was high and to the right while Faye was low and to the left. Looking around cautiously, they found themselves in a little foyer; a watercolor painting of a colorful Russian palace hung behind polished glass on one wall. Moving out into the open, they scanned the room for occupants. There was no one. Swiftly they crept about, peeking beyond the doors of bedrooms, bathrooms and closets. There was no one. The couple lowered their weapons, at ease.

"This place is amazing!" Faye said finally. They were in a grand suite with a dining room, living room, kitchen, and a master and secondary bed and bath. "I told you they'd be loaded," she smirked.

Spike made his way to the fridge. Opening the door, he found only four cans of Pippu cola and one expensive bottle of Pinot Grigio. "Apparently they didn't order room service yet," he drawled, picking up a can of soda. He popped the top as Faye wandered into the master bedroom.

"Bingo!" she whispered as she spotted a black, wheeled suitcase sitting in the corner of the room. Lifting up the top she sifted through the clothes and found wads of neatly strapped wulongs lining the bottom. "Oh! Jackpot!" she squealed. Spike poked his head through the door curiously.

"Hmm?" he said looking over at the excited woman.

"Hey, Spike! Check this out!" she smiled, waving him over.

"What, that dirty money?" he said, standing over her sipping his soda.

"At least it's money," Faye replied, greedily handling a wad of bills. Spike sat down on the edge of the big bed, scratching his head. She looked at him as he returned a stern look. "Come on, it's not like they stole it! They earned it fair and square," Faye explained.

"Yeah," said Spike, "by sneaking into private mines and selling rare gems."

"Oh, come on, Spike!" Faye pleaded. "Who are they gonna pay it back to?" she said, playing devil's advocate. Spike didn't answer. He knew he didn't have to. He only looked at her with a smirk. She walked on her knees to where he sat, scooting up between his thighs, pressing herself against him as she reached up to plant kisses on his neck. Spike smiled, reveling in her affection. She looked up into his mismatched eyes, entreating of him. "Please?" she cooed.

"No," said Spike.

"Ugh!" Faye growled. "Why not?"

"Faye, we have twenty four million fat wulongs about to walk right into our grasp! Isn't that enough?"

"There's no such thing as enough money," she smiled. Spike sighed, handing Faye his can of soda. She glared at him indignantly as he fished out a cigarette and a lighter.

* * *

_**Another chapter concludes!**_**_ Not too much going on here though. It'll continue reall soon! Please enjoy!_**

**_Cowboy Bebop is not mine, but it is Sunrise Inc.'s. _**


	38. Rush

Evan McDavitt stepped into the elevator with a sigh as Johnathan Gu followed behind him. He reached out to press button number twenty-two. "Eugh, my fingers are all pruney!" he mumbled, feeling the contours of his fingertips. He was now cloaked in a black leather trench coat that sat open loosely to reveal his swimming attire.

Johnathan pulled a hand out of the pocket of a similar coat that he wore, and looked at his fingers as well. "Hmm," he replied. "It's not all bad." He gave a smirk. Evan laughed, shaking his head of blonde waves.

"You really think those bounty hunters are after _us_? I mean, there must be other bounty heads here too," he said, wrapping a long arm around Johnathan's torso. He placed his chin on his shoulder brushing his cheek against his black hair.

"Well, it never hurts to be safe rather than sorry," Gu replied.

"Hm," Evan said. "If they are after us, do you think we can really stop them with just these?" he asked, pulling a heavy handgun from the inner pocked of his warm coat.

"We should be able to hold 'em off at least long enough for us to make a run for it," Johnathan responded. "That's really all we need."

"Ohh," Evan groaned. "I don't wanna get caught, Johnny! I've always wanted to meet Spike Spiegel in person, but not under these circumstances." He tucked his gun away again.

"Relax, Evie!" Johnathan reassured. "If they're after us, we'll be ready for them, ok?" he cooed, tangling his fingers in the blonde curls at the nape of Evan's neck.

"Oh, ok," Evan replied as Johnathan gripped his chin. He gave Evan a sweet and passionate kiss. Slowly their lips separated. "Damn, you're convincing," Evan grinned, leaning in for more.

* * *

Faye plopped onto the huge hotel bed with her own can of Pippu cola, not far from a brooding Spike. She popped the top with her carefully manicured nails and took a sip, the carbonation tickling her throat on it's way down. "They sure are taking their time, aren't they?" she asked with a bubbly sigh. She lie on her back, resting the can of pop on her stomach. Spike turned to look at her, noting her violet hair spread in a halo around her head.

"Must be having a grand ol'time," he replied with a faint smile. He heaved himself up from the comfy, cushioned bed, stroking Faye's thigh as he stood. "C'mon," he said. "We should wait closer to the front." Faye released another sigh and rolled up after him.

"Don't you have bionic hearing?" she half-joked. Spike chuckled, shaking his head of mossy hair.

As they neared the entryway, Faye took another sip of her soda just as Spike's ears seemed to perk with alertness. She placed her soda can on a nearby table and looked to the door, amused.

"I think they're coming," Spike whispered. Faye listened, and was oddly disillusioned to find that she could hear them as well.

"_Evan, would you chill out?"_

"_Ok, ok! Phew!"_

Faye smiled as she heard the voices muffled by the door in between the two couples. "I told you they were lovers," she smirked. She watched amusedly as Spike rolled his eyes in a grimace of skepticism and disgust.

Right outside the door, Johnathan and Evan stood for a short while. "I … can't seem to find my room key…" Johnathan mumbled, searching his pockets. "Do you have yours?"

"Uh-huh!" Evan said, reaching into his own pockets, finally producing a card key.

"Oh, I love you," Johnathan praised flippantly.

"I know," Evan replied in turn. He handed Johnathan the key and watched as he turned to him, putting a finger to his lips. Evan obeyed, and both men reached for their handguns. They nodded to each other as Johnathan slipped the card key into its slot. The door flung open and the two guns found themselves barrel to barrel with two more.

The Jericho and the Glock were waiting at the door on the ends of the arms of Spike and Faye respectively, who wore demon-like grins at the thrill of the hunt. "We promised we'd pay you a visit," Spike said warmly.

The hunted men both stood their guard; although Evan bore a startled and bewildered expression, Johnathan's face was calm as a stone. "How nice of you to drop by," the latter replied.

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way," said Faye, shifting her weight from one slender boot to the other. "Either way, you two will be coming with us. Which is it gonna be?" she smiled coyly.

"You don't expect us to just forfeit, now do you Faye? Spike?" Gu replied.

"So you've heard of us?" Spike smirked superciliously.

"Of course we've heard of you, handsome!" McDavitt spoke up with a smirk of arousal, yet equally as condescending. "Who hasn't?"

"Handsome?" Spike echoed, his expression straddling the line between puzzlement and shock. _She was right,_ he thought.

"Well, now that we all know each other," Faye interrupted, "it's about time we took you boys in."

"Guess again," Gu said shortly. With a little shove, he and McDavitt were off in a mad dash. The bounty hunters hurried after them, adrenaline pumping.

"This makes it interesting," Spike said as the duet darted through the halls after the perpetrators.

"Wanna make it even more interesting?" Faye grinned diabolically.

"I'm not making a bet with you, you cheater," Spike answered.

"You're no fun!" Faye smiled as Spike stopped to open fire. A bullet whizzed past McDavitt as he rounded a corner and imbedded itself in the pristinely painted plaster wall, leaving a crumbling scar.

"Stay here," he ordered, taking off again.

"Why?" Faye called after him.

"They left the money! One of 'em's got to come back," he answered over his shoulder. Faye begrudgingly obliged him, dragging back in the direction of the suite to lie in wait.

* * *

_**Here we go! The chase begins (officially). Happy birthday! It's a twofer! Two chapters completed, two chapters posted. I hope you guys are enjoy**_**_ing it so far. By the way, I forgot to mention that the character of Evan McDavitt is also styled after a friend of mine, as well as Johnathan Gu... although in real life, neither of them are gay._**

**_Cowboy Bebop is not mine. Sunrise Inc. gets the credit!_**


	39. To The Point

Johnathan Gu glanced over his shoulder to see Spike still tailing him and his partner. As the two men darted into the threshold of a heavy door labeled 'stairs', they scrambled up the zig-zagged passage way. "Ev," Gu panted. "Get out on the 21st floor," he breathed, "and take the elevator back down."

"What about you?" Evan replied, looking back in time to see Spike rapidly catching up with them.

"I'll keep handsome busy," he replied.

"You have all the fun," McDavitt groaned, pushing his way through another door.

_The old split-up routine,_ Spike thought to himself as McDavitt disappeared through a door labeled 21. As inconvenient as it was, it was predictable and expected. Spike didn't let it get to him. He had his own tricks up his sleeve. He continued after Gu, his long legs spanning over two or three steps at a time. He was almost startled when Gu whipped out his gun and began to open fire.

"Shit," he growled as a bullet zoomed past his ear. He paused on the landing that read 18, looking up at Jonathan, who leered down at him from level 16 above.

"What's the matter, Spike?" he teased. "Scared of a little bullet?" Spike gave Johnathan a knowing smile.

"I have a low threshold for pain," he called. He saluted Gu with the barrel of his Jericho, and vanished through the door behind him. Gu stood on the higher landing, watching helplessly as Spike gave up his pursuit.

"Damnit!" he cursed, smacking a fist against a nearby wall.

* * *

A pair of elevator doors slid open and a wary Evan McDavitt stepped out onto level twenty-two. He looked left, then right, then left again before slinking off down the hallway back to room 2218. He readied his gun as he slipped the card key into its slot. As he pushed the door open, he fond the violet-haired woman standing confidently before him, aiming her Glock squarely at his chest. "Forget something?" she asked in a sultry tone. McDavitt gave a sigh.

"I'm not in the mood for small talk," he responded harshly. "Outta the way, bitch."

"Oh, that's intimidating," Faye replied, shifting her weight to her left foot.

"Don't make me kill you," he threatened. "I'll do it!"

"You know," Faye smiled, "I would love to see you try!" she provoked.

"Wish granted!" McDavitt replied, charging into the room after her. She dodged his attack, her lithe figure darting backwards. He swung at her, his hand only sailing past the dangling trail of purple hair that followed her. She raised a leg to kick him where she knew would render him down for the count, but he hurried aside and she tagged his thigh. Her follow-through threw her concentration and McDavitt grabbed her left wrist, pinning it between the wall and the grip of his gun. Immediately, Faye poised her Glock at him, but he caught that hand too. He turned sideways, pressing her against the wall of the small foyer with his hip.

"Well, well," he speculated. "Try and you shall succeed," he smirked. Faye glared at him, struggling to get free. As McDavitt reveled in his impending defeat, Faye calmed down. A faint glimmer came back into her eyes.

"Wait a minute," she said charmingly, puffing out her chest. "You don't wanna harm little ol' me, now do you?" she grinned, drawing her svelte leg up the back of his. McDavitt gave a triumphant sigh.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, chickie," he smiled. Faye scowled. _He couldn't at least be bi,_ she thought. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something behind him and her countenance changed instantly. She happily watched as a look of shock seized his face.

McDavitt stiffened as he felt cold, hard metal pressed at the nape of his neck. "I'd get off her if I were you," said Spike heroically. McDavitt refrained from turning to see him, but spoke.

"So you're back, pretty boy," he said, regaining composure. He stared at an imaginary dot on the wall above Faye's head. Spike tried to ignore his new nickname.

"Aren't you gonna heed my warning?" he asked. His thumb released the safety on his Jericho, the menacing click seeming almost as loud as a bullet in McDavitt's ears. The man dared to reply.

"What are you gonna do to me?" he said courageously.

"I wouldn't worry about what _I'd_ do," Spike replied. He peered around McDavitt's blonde locks, getting a glimpse of Faye. She rolled her eyes in an angry dismay. Although she was pinned to the wall by a good-looking man, this man had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever. Spike smirked at her. "C'mon, let her go," he coaxed with a calm smile. "I'll do you a favor." McDavitt stood still, staring at the same invisible spot over Faye's head. Faye looked up at him, then at Spike. She opened her mouth to speak, but caught a glimpse of Spike's eyes, urging her to stay quiet.

"What kind of favor?" McDavitt asked, staring straight ahead. Faye looked at him again; he seemed to be taking Spike's proposal into deep consideration. She rolled her jeweled orbs once more.

Spike stepped closer, pressing his gun's barrel harder into the nape of Evan's neck. His mouth came teasingly close to his ear.

"I won't hurt you too bad," he answered, lowering his voice. Faye watched as McDavitt closed his eyes with resistance. "I can't promise anything for the woman though," he smirked playfully.

"That doesn't give me much incentive, now does it?" McDavitt replied smartly. "Would you release a wild tiger from its cage so it could tear you limb from limb?"

"You bring up a valid point," Spike said.

"I'm not just a ferocious tiger," Faye interrupted with a charming, sparkling smile. "I can be a sweet kitten, too!" McDavitt looked at her with skepticism in his features. As he stared at her, Spike gave an aggravated sigh.

"Just let go already. I'm losing my patience to bargain!" he growled, lowering his gun. McDavitt slowly turned his head to see Spike's face over his shoulder. Returning his glance to Faye, he released her wrists, one by one, starting with the unarmed one. Faye gave a sigh as he stepped back, releasing her from the wall. She rubbed the pain out of her wrists as he turned to face Spike.

As soon as he had stopped moving, McDavitt found himself at gunpoint again. Spike stood at arm's length aiming his Jericho intently. Suddenly the bounty head felt the barrel of Faye's Glock digging into his spine. "Stick'em up," he heard her sing upon the impact of her weapon. McDavitt helplessly obeyed her. He housed fear in his eyes, and Faye could feel a quiver shoot down his body.

"Don't worry," Spike reassured sympathetically. "We won't _kill_ you; you are a bounty head, remember?" McDavitt regained some confidence.

"So I could do this then?" he inquired, pushing Spike's gun away from his chest. Spike maneuvered to McDavitt's side, giving his gun a new position at his blonde temple.

"You could, but look how far that got you," he replied evilly. It was now Faye's turn to fill with impatience.

"Alright, enough funny business, Goldilocks!" she shouted. She turned McDavitt and shoved him harshly against the opposing wall. He was shocked with the strength in her small frame.

"Ow! Take it easy, Tinkerbelle!" he hissed after his head banged against the hard surface behind him. Faye felt insulted, although she wasn't sure why. He had only compared her to an ancient Earth reference, one admired by young girls ever since the 1950's. Perhaps it was size that mattered.

"Look," she said, pressing the point of her gun into his jugular. "You better watch your step; my finger could just… slip." She ended her sentence with a teasing lilt of her voice. That's when Spike noticed the tip of a gun aimed at her torso.

McDavitt replied grimly. "So could mine."

* * *

_**Ooh! What's gonna happen next? It's getting better! At least, that's my opinion. If you beg to differ, that's ok. Let me know! I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop is not mine, but it belongs to Sunrise Inc. Bummer!**_


	40. Pain For Two

Spike's muscles tensed sharply as the sound of the small explosion echoed in his ears. He looked up to see Faye, eyes wide, stumble back onto the wall of the tiny hallway. The clatter of her Glock as it hit the floor shook him. Her dainty fingers moved up to a dark hole in her sweater, which quickly became muddied and stained by the crimson liquid that streamed from her left side. She stared at her bloodstained fingertips as she slowly slid down the peachy painted wall, whimpering with pain and shock.

Spike rocketed to her side, almost slamming himself into the wall next to her. "No, no, no, no, no," he muttered to himself as he caught her gently before she reached the carpeted floor. He instantly hated himself. He could have done something. He could have stopped McDavitt from pulling the trigger. He could have even blocked the shot. Why didn't he? Why was Faye now in such pain? Why hadn't he moved?

When he had witnessed the demise of Julia those two long years ago, she had been several steps ahead of him; even worse, she'd been hit by an unseen syndicate sniper. There was nothing he could have done.

But here and now, Spike had been no more than a foot away from Faye. He could have done anything to stop this from happening. Why hadn't he?

McDavitt looked utterly panicked. If he wasn't going to die before, he certainly was now. Faye looked up at him with shock and surprise in her face. Then he caught Spike's angry countenance; he could almost see those dark molasses eyes ignite with fury as they pierced his bright blue ones.

Like a frightened deer, McDavitt darted across the suite and headed for the master bedroom, locking himself in with the suitcase full of cash. He was confused and pondering. Breathing hard, he paced the floor. "Ok, think Evan, think!" he mused to himself. "How am I gonna get out of this?" He looked around for any possible escape route, but since they were twenty-two floors underground, there were no windows to climb out of. He found a few small openings through the ventilation systems, but he'd never be able to fit through them. The only thing he could do now was sit and wait.

Spike remained plastered to Faye's side. "Faye? Faye!" he shouted, lifting her face to his. His heart pounded as he watched her eyebrows furrow over her candy green eyes. Her eyelashes were damp and glistening.

"Spike," she cried painfully. She reached for him, and he caught her cold, dainty hand and pressed its palm against his cheek.

"Faye, you're gonna be ok," he said firmly. Quickly, he gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the secondary bedroom.

"Ah," she whimpered. "It hurts." Spike could almost feel her pain as she winced.

"I know," he told her, pressing his cheek into her purple hair.

Gallantly, Spike kicked open the bedroom door and hurried Faye to one of two twin-sized beds. Carefully he laid her down onto the bold, warmly striped comforter. "Don't worry," he said, almost as an order. He stood, feeling afraid to take his eyes off of her, and fished for his comm.

* * *

Jet relaxed on Sasha's soft couch in front of the fire, admiring its softness compared to the old yellow monstrosity that sat in the living area of the Bebop. He hated to be an inconvenience to his generous hostess, and he searched the room from his seat for any timepieces that could give him the hour. Ed had wandered into the kitchen after Sasha, who had decided to get dinner started, and Nikolai and his younger brother kept Jet company. "Nice place you got here," said Jet, trying to engage in small talk.

"Thanks," Nikolai responded. "Although it is my mom's house." He stood before the muscular Jet, giving a charming smile. Jet chuckled. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to live under someone else's roof and rules. "I think the Bebop is pretty nice too," he continued.

"Eh, it gets us from A to B," Jet humbly replied. Recalling Edward's wishes, he tried to give the Bebop as little appeal as possible.

Little Il'ya sat on Jet's left side, his feet dangling from the tall cushions of the couch, marveling at and scrutinizing Jet's cybernetic appendage. "Why is your arm made outta metal?" he questioned. Jet looked at the small boy.

"Hm?"

"Were you _born_ that way?" the kid asked. He cautiously tapped the metallic sheen with his small, clammy index finger.

Nikolai gently pulled the kid's hand away. "Il'ya," he said, sounding more like a father than an older brother. Jet gave a sigh, thoughtfully rubbing his prosthetic.

"Don't worry about it," he grumbled. He gave the younger boy a weak smile. He had hardly felt the tap on his arm. It reminded him of what Faye had told him less than three years ago: _it should be repaired_.

Just then Jet heard his comm. emitting another beep. Picking it up, he'd expected it to be Edward again. She had already called him three times that night. He was relieved to see Spike on the other end instead. "Hey Spike!" he answered jovially.

Ed peered over Sasha's shoulder as she poured some chopped carrots and onions into her beef stroganoff, humming a merry tune. It wasn't long before Ed was humming along, and even adding words to the song.

_Carrot, carrot, pieces of carrot  
Floating in the stew!  
Will you be all yummy, tasty  
When we're through with you?_

Sasha gave an amused giggle at the girl's innovative rhymes. "You will be an expert at making stroganoff in no time!" she said gleefully. Soon their merriment was interrupted.

"_**What?!**"_ bellowed Jet's powerful voice. Edward and Sasha exchanged confused glances.

* * *

_**Well well well! What do we have here? Poor Faye-Faye! What will happen?! Find out soon; I shall return with a new chapter very shortly!**_

_**By the way, I hate being a review whore, but... review! I know a lot of you out there are reading this! There's more than just two of you! I know you've got opinions: tell me what you think! I'd greatly appreciate it. **_

_**Cowboy Bebop is property of Sunrise Inc. and not me. Enjoy!**_


	41. Coping With First Aid

Edward peered out into the living room, spotting Jet standing alone near the foyer. Nikolai and Il'ya sat on the couch near the fireplace, watching him curiously. His body was tensed and both of his hands seemed to grip desperately to his communicator. "How did that happen?" Ed heard him ask, his broad back to her. She listened on, catching only indecipherable mumblings from the comm. in Jet's grasp. "Ok, ok, I'll be there Asap," he spat into the receiver. He beeped Spike away, slipping the comm. back into place. He ran his cool metal hand over his naked head in frustration, turning to see that he'd gained a small audience. Nikolai nervously turned away, scratching his head of brown, fluffy hair. Il'ya continued to look on in a clueless awe.

Ed emerged from behind the wall she peered from and rushed to his side. "Jet-person, what happened, huh?" she asked, gripping his fleshy arm. Jet stood in panicked contemplation.

"Ed," he said. Stopping mid sentence, he started off for the kitchen. Sasha turned as she heard his heavy footsteps. "Uh, Mrs. Mussorgsky," he began.

"Ms." She corrected. "I'm divorced. But didn't I tell you to call me Sasha?" she smiled.

"Uh, right," said Jet. "Well, something's happened, and we need to go."

"Je-e-e-e-e-e-et! What happened? What happened? What happened?!" Ed harangued. "Tell me! Tell, tell, tell! Tell Edward!" She gave Jet's arm a tug. Jet swiftly placed his free hand over her loud mouth.

"Is something wrong?" Sasha asked, sincerely worried. "Ed could stay here for a while longer if you need her to."

"Uh, no, I don't want her to be any more trouble for you," he said. Sasha looked disappointed.

"Alright, if you must," she said sadly.

"What, what?!" said Ed, prying off Jet's cold, metal hand.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Sasha," Jet said, holding out his cybernetic hand for a farewell shake. Sasha daintily placed her hand in his.

"Ne zashto, Jet," she answered sweetly.

"Come on, Ed," Jet said, turning to the young hacker. He promptly lifted the girl and draped her over his broad shoulder. He gave Sasha a gentlemanly nod as he turned to leave.

"Bye-bye!" Ed sang rather gleefully, waving to Sasha.

"Dasvedanya, Edward," the woman smiled, returning the wave. As the two made a swift retreat, Ed looked down at Jet beneath her.

"Papa Jet-person?" she asked. "Can we come back and visit Nikki-Moose sometime?"

"Of course we can," he answered.

"Papa Jet-person,"

"Hm?"

"Edward knows how to walk."

* * *

Spike sat down next to the wounded Faye, holding a hand towel he'd found in the bathroom. "We should get this sweater off you," he said, kneeling on the floor next to her.

"Spike, this is not the time for sex," she joked, wincing at the pain her slight laughter caused.

"Lemme help you sit up," said Spike. Faye looked at his solemn, unchanging face as he ignored her humor and gently supported her neck and lower back. When she was up, she supported her weight on her arms.

Spike watched her carefully, fearful of missing something important. He admired her architecture, her arms the flying buttresses supporting the brilliant structure that was Faye. He cautiously straddled her, untucking the blood soaked fabric from her black skinny jeans. He watched her eyes scrunch in a grimace that wrenched at his heart. He desperately wished he could take her pain away, some way or another.

"Can you lift your arms?" he asked, although his question came across more like a command. Faye braced herself and gave it a try. The muscles in her abdomen pulled and tightened around the foreign object, causing her to groan in agony. Spike did his best to hold Faye up and swiftly pull her sweater over her head, mumbling soothing words of endurance. "There, we got that over with," he said when Faye plopped herself down again. He moved to the foot of the bed and pulled her boots off one by one, setting each stockinged foot flat on the comforter, bending her knees. As he finished, he spotted a chair nearby and went to retrieve it, pulling it up to the bedside.

"Ohh," Faye gasped, the corners of her eyes looking moist and shiny.

"What?" He leaned over her from his chair.

"That was chenille," she whined, eying the discarded, deep green fabric with a bloody, red hole in one side. Sadly, she looked away, tracing the cup of her dark, lacy push-up bra. Spike gave a faint, weak smile, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He picked up the towel he'd brought and pressed it over her wound.

"Owww!" she shouted, startled. "That hurts, lunkhead!" She smacked his arm.

"Faye, you have to apply pressure," he urged. Faye tugged at the towel. "Don't fight me on this, Faye," Spike urgently warned. The last thing he wanted was to lose another love of his life.

"I'm not!" Faye shouted. "Gimme it!" She smacked him once more, getting him to let go. "I'll do it," she said more quietly. Spike relinquished his authority and watched her.

"_Pressure,_ Faye; you can't just sit it on top," he preached, placing a hand over hers.

"_I know_!" Faye replied, smacking him away again. " You'd think I'd learned a thing or two nursing _you_ back to health." Finally Spike lightened up, much to Faye's delight.

"But that was Jet," he smiled.

"I helped!"

He eyed her skeptically.

"Well, I watched," she reluctantly corrected.

Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on," she smiled, playfully slapping Spike's knee. "I cared enough to at least stick around to make sure you were ok."

"I'll buy that," he answered, stroking her deep purple hair. The two of them sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds around them. Suddenly a shuffle could be heard from the next room. Both turned their attention to the noise.

"Spike?" Faye said. Spike looked at her, awaiting her request. "Don't let him get away." Spike smiled, slowly rising from his seat.

"If you insist," he said. He sauntered to the door. "But I'm only doing it for the twelve million on his head," he smirked over his shoulder with a wink. Faye smiled faintly and relaxed her head onto her pillow again. The muscle release in her neck soothed her.

"Lunkhead."

* * *

_**Another chapter posted! Oh, are you guys as excited as I am? Woot! **_

_**Cowboy Bebop is Sunrise Inc. property. Not mine.**_

_**By the by, 'ne zashto' is pronounced 'nyeh- zashto'. There's something about the n-e combination, I guess. n.n **_


	42. Jail Bait

The Bebop landed in front of the Palatz and its hangar door screeched open. Jet emerged from the bowels of the ship, ready to take on some bounty heads, or, more likely, ready to tend to the injured Faye. Spike was too gung ho and impetuous to stick around and play nursemaid, and he'd be much more inclined to avenge Faye than care for her. Hopping down from the ship, Jet trudged through the snow to the doors of the Palatz.

Once in the lobby, he glanced about, marveling at the scenery as he walked. Peering right and left, he located the elevator corridor and walked over, trying to appear as though he were a regular. He pushed the down button that was mounted near each elevator, biding time until one came up for him. Fortunately, it was a shorter wait than he'd anticipated, and was in a lift before he knew it.

Standing alone in the elevator, he read the tiny sign that was posted above the buttons, the one stating how the elevator had been certified, inspected and had a long lasting warrantee, and giving the system's weight limitations. The car sailed down seamlessly to the 22nd floor as he waited patiently within.

* * *

"Going somewhere?" Evan McDavitt nervously froze at the voice of the mossy haired cowboy who'd crept up on him. He stood, one hand resting on the fancy doorknob and the other gripping the large, black suitcase, afraid to move. He didn't turn around, but he could bet his bounty that there was a gun aimed at him.

Spike watched him as he shifted slowly at the door. "Uh-uh, hands where I can see 'em," he ordered. "Unless of course _you_ want a new hole too." McDavitt obeyed, peering at Spike over his shoulder. "You know, I can't see your other hand. You're not making this very easy for me," Spike warned. The bounty turned to Spike and reluctantly dropped the suitcase, raising his newly freed hand. He watched as Spike crept over to him, gun aimed and at the ready.

"Alright, hands on the wall," Spike demanded, wearing his most menacing look. "And don't get any ideas." McDavitt helplessly listened. Contrary to belief, he was too fearful and distracted to get any ideas. As soon as he was in place against the peachy wall, Spike grimaced in disgust. _I hate this part,_ he thought to himself. _This is Faye's job._ As he patted down the bounty, he began to wonder if shooting Faye had been part of some disturbing plan of his. He could almost see the happy little grin on McDavitt's face. He finally extracted a gun and hastily withdrew with a silent breath of relief. Even if he wasn't as thorough as he could have been, he now had two guns.

Spike wedged between McDavitt and the door. "Why don't you take a load off," he requested, pointing with the barrel of the Jericho at the glass dining room table further into the suite. McDavitt glared at Spike, but had no better choice than to follow his order. Sulkily he pulled out a chair and sat, eying the two guns aimed at him. Spike suavely pulled out another chair with his foot and made himself comfortable in front of the bounty head, apparently letting his guard down some.

McDavitt gave Spike a smile. "I'm just gonna go to the fridge and get a Pippu," he said, motioning to get up.

"Sit," Spike replied, cocking the safety on the stranger's gun. McDavitt grew anxious and impatient.

"Look," he said. "You're a bounty hunter, right?"

"Your point?"

"So, what's with this whole fixation on getting me behind bars? All you want is the money, isn't it?"

Spike looked on, his interest piqued.

"Why don't you just let me go and take what's in the suitcase as your own? I'm sure it's more than whatever I'm worth," the blonde reasoned. Spike casually rested his chin on top of his armed hand. "There has to be fifteen million in there, at _least._ Go ahead and take it. Then we can forget about this whole messy business; whaddaya say?" Spike closed his eyes, pretending to contemplate the offer.

"Tempting, but I'm gonna have to pass you up on that," he finally answered. McDavitt looked defeated. "Forgetting about this is easier said than done. I don't think Faye can forget that hole you put in her stomach, now can she?" The very thought of Faye's injury sparked his wrath, which he fought to subdue. "She'd never forgive me if I just let you get away with that," he said, struggling to speak rather than growl at the man. "Besides, I could turn you in _and_ take your money, giving me a grand total of 27 million fat ones! That's better than twelve _or_ fifteen, if you ask me," he smirked. His final point cheered him up a bit. He thought of how happy the surplus would make Faye, but then she'd have to get better before she could spend, or gamble, any of it. The cycle of thought brought him back to where he started and he returned to anger again. He unwillingly clicked the safety on his Jericho back into place and neatly tucked it away.

"You really love that girl, don't you?" McDavitt unexpectedly asked. Spike gave him a quizzical glance, reluctant to respond. "If you don't," McDavitt continued, "then why are you so angry with me for shooting her?"

"Because for one thing, she's my business partner," Spike replied, feeling provoked. "I hate to say it, but she actually makes my job a lot easier sometimes. And also because you're single-handedly responsible for putting our sex life on hiatus… to answer your question," he said snidely, placing a mangled cigarette between his lips.

"So?" the bounty replied with a smile. "You've got two capable hands, don't you?" He was swiftly answered by a sudden and powerful kick to the shin. He yelped in pain, grabbing his leg and looking at Spike impishly.

"Sorry. Reflex," the cowboy said, glaring through the flame of his lighter.

"What, are you Catholic?" McDavitt seethed, rubbing his sore shin.

"Not a bad guess," Spike answered, blowing out a puff of smoke. "But not a good one either." McDavitt stared expectantly at the bounty hunter, awaiting closure.

"…So, what's the right answer?" he asked finally, after concluding that he wasn't going to get an answer to a question unasked. Spike held his cigarette between two fingers and exhaled another breath of grey clouds.

"Jewish," he stated at last.

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"So, you're, uh…" McDavitt implied, pointing a finger that drew invisible little circles in the air at the unspoken anatomy in question. He wore a sly, subdued smile.

"Don't ask me that!" Spike exploded, having been hoisted out of his comfort zone. "That isn't cute!" In the silent wake of his outburst, he could faintly hear Faye snickering from the next room. McDavitt's grin grew as he struggled to choke back a guffaw.

"Alright, alright," he said, holding up his hands in submission. "Homophobe," he mumbled. Spike looked angry and yet, indignant. He wasn't a homophobe... was he? McDavitt crossed his legs and leaned an elbow onto the table. "Women never get that freaked out when lesbians hit on them. What is it with straight guys, anyway? I was only teasing."

"Wasn't funny," Spike quietly pouted. He took another puff of his cigarette and crossed his arms, slouching back into his chair; a scrawny kid, picked on at recess. Just then, he heard a beep at his waist as his communicator beckoned to him.

_Saved by the beep._

* * *

_**This easily has to be one of my favorite chapters. Spike's so cute when he's being picked on! I give McDavitt major kudos on this one!**_

Spike is not mine, but property of Sunrise Inc. McDavitt is mine, however. Enjoy!

_** Just a little editor's note: I changed some of Spike's dialogue in the second scene. I know I posted this story a while ago, but that one line was bugging me all this time! It seemed so out of character! I hope it's better now! If you're reading this for the first time, omedeto (congratulations)! You get the new and improved version:3**  
_


	43. A Silver Lining

"_Hey, Spike! I'm right outside the door. You wanna let me in_?" Jet's voice came through the speakers of Spike's comm. like music to his ears.

"No problem, Jet," Spike replied, a thankful smile curling his lips. He turned to Evan McDavitt in front of him. "Hey," he said, commanding attention. "My friend's outside. Why don't you go let him in?" He pointed his gun, cocking his head to the door behind him. McDavitt gave a sigh.

"What, am I your butler now?"

"Do it!" Spike growled. He raised the gun higher, and McDavitt pulled himself out of the chair obediently.

Jet stood out in the hall, in front of room 2218. He hadn't knocked, in case there was a bounty head inside being given a warning signal. As the door opened, he didn't see the mop of green hair he'd been expecting. Instead it was a head of wavy, blonde locks. He almost began to grow alarmed until he peered past the bounty head to see Spike not too far behind.

"You made it," was his simple greeting. Jet held out his hand, pushing McDavitt back into the room as he entered.

"Thanks for having me," he replied. "Where's Faye?"

"In the bedroom," Spike answered, catching McDavitt sneak away from the peripheral vision of his cybernetic eye. He grabbed the man's collar before he'd gotten out of reach.

Jet peered into a room, then the next. There he beheld Faye, lying lazily on the bright comforter of a twin-sized bed. He was only slightly startled when he saw even less clothing than had become regular. Her head rolled to one side as she spotted the bald man.

"At last," Faye sighed dramatically. Jet shook his head.

"So now you can finally join the gunshot club, huh?" he said to her, giving a faint smile. Faye released another sigh.

"I don't see what's so great about it," she groaned.

Spike had followed Jet into the room, pushing ahead of him the blonde bounty head at gunpoint. "She's gonna get cold out there," he said. "Why don't you go get her sweater?" Spike pressed the gun into the small of McDavitt's back. The blonde searched the room briefly with his eyes, spotting the green chenille fabric near the foot of the bed. Hurriedly he fetched it. Jet was already scooping Faye up in his arms when McDavitt brought her the soft garment.

"Here ya go," he said, placing the sweater in her lap. Faye gave him a slinky smile.

"The bounty on your head is as good as mine. For that, I can't thank you enough," she said, her green eyes gleaming with victory. Spike looked down at her, an overwhelming urge to kiss her occupying his mind.

"Spike," Jet's voice awoke him from his desire. "I got some news for ya." The two men looked at McDavitt, remaining tight-lipped.

"Go stand in that corner," Spike finally ordered, pointing Evan to a corner on the far end of the room. He went and stood wedged between a bedside table and a wall, leaning into the corner, arms crossed, looking at the trio of his captors.

Spike sat down, ready to hear what Jet had to say. Jet followed him, thoughtfully draping Faye across Spike's lap. He leaned in to whisper. "When I was in the lobby, I saw Gu run out. My question is, are we still after that guy, or are we gonna let him have the slip given the circumstances?"

"Where'd he go?" Spike asked.

"He headed over to the parking garage," Jet replied. "I think he might be waiting for McDavitt to come out."

"In that case," Faye chimed in, "it should be a piece of cake to get him." The men looked down at her critically. "If I were you, I wouldn't just let 12 million wulongs run out the door."

"It's a good thing you're _not_ us," Jet replied. He looked up and over Spike's fluffy mane at McDavitt, who stood there in his corner impatiently. Eying him, he turned his attention back to Spike.

"Did he recognize you?" asked Spike, a determined look in his eye.

"I don't think so. It didn't look like it to me." Spike gently placed an arm around Faye's shoulders.

"He knew who we were. Maybe on the spot, who knows? If so, he was pretty good at playing it cool."

"If that's the case," Jet thought aloud, "then we have to make him think I'm leaving. Make him think I came here for Faye and nothing else. He'll be more on guard if he thinks I'm actively after him too."

"Ok," Spike said. "Sounds good." He stood, Faye still in his arms. Jet followed suit.

"But what about Blondie over there?" he asked as Spike handed him the woman. "I'm gonna have to take him too if you wanna go after Gu yourself."

Spike looked over his shoulder at McDavitt, when suddenly there was a firm nock on the door. He looked back at Jet, who cocked an eyebrow at him. "You'll get it," Jet said, cradling Faye in his large arms. Spike reluctantly headed toward the front of the suite.

"Keep an eye on Blondie," he said, hooking a thumb at McDavitt.

Looking through the peephole on the front door, Spike smiled to himself. There was another knock. "Is anyone in there?" came a voice.

Spike slowly creaked the door open, wearing a charming smile. "Can I help you, officer?"

A man in the familiar blue uniform and badge stepped inside the suite. "Yes," he said calmly. "A woman across the hall reported to the lobby that she heard gun shots being fired. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, sir?"

"As a matter of fact…" Spike replied, turning to see Jet emerge from the bedroom. A nervous Evan McDavitt was on the end of his outstretched arm.

"We can explain that," said Jet with a smile.

* * *

_**Another chapter, short and sweet! This was me deciding that these cowboys need a lucky break for once. Or perhaps it was me deciding that I wasn't gonna try to think out some elaborate scheme. This works, right? I mean, it **_**_is__ a hotel. People complain about anything in a hotel, especially noise. ; ) Do enjoy!_**

**_Cowboy Bebop, yadda yadda yadda, you know the spiel. Not mine. n.n_**


	44. Bittersweet

Edward draped herself over the back of the yellow sofa, restlessly kicking her bare feet. Her head rested in the cushions, hair flying in all directions. She hummed a slow and mellow tune as Ein trotted up. "Ein…" Edward whined. The dog rested his head on the couch, his nose aligned with Ed's. "Edward is bored!"

Ein gave a sigh.

"Aren't you bored too, boy?" Ed asked him.

He yawned in response.

"Whatever are we to do? Bebop-Bebop is so quiet."

The dog blinked. Edward rolled her nimble body over the couch and sat backward on the cushions. Spinning around, she plopped onto the couch, lying across its length like all the other crewmembers did from time to time. Ein dabbed his cold, wet nose onto Ed's bronzed arm. The girl giggled.

"I think you're right, doggie-poo," she said, rolling her fiery head to face him. "Ed misses Nikki-Moose already." The hacker yawned and stretched her limbs, blinking her eyes tiredly. She gently scratched Ein's neck as her mind began to wander.

* * *

_Jet placed Edward down so she could retrieve her furry boots and shawl that were arranged neatly by the front door. He picked up his coat from the coat hook and slipped his arms in, one by one. As he turned to grab his hat, he heard Nikolai jogging toward them. _

"_Ed," he said, a note of sadness in his voice._

"_Nikki!" she replied, smiling up at him as she slipped on her second boot. She stood up straight, looking up into his brown eyes. "We have to go now," she said, grabbing hold of his hand. Her infectious smile spread to his face. Jet watched helplessly, not wanting to deprive the girl of goodbyes._

"_So I see," Nikolai said, running his free hand through his hazelnut mane. Edward watched as the thick locks flopped back into place after he'd tussled them. "Well, happy trails, Moi Agonye." Edward looked puzzled._

"_But Ed is Ed," she said, her smile creeping back. Nikolai grinned. _

"_That's the nickname I thought of. For you," he replied._

"_Moi Agonye?" she asked, her amber eyes sparkling._

"_It means 'my fire'," he explained. "Because, well, you give off light and warmth and spark, plus it's the color of your hair," he smiled, patting her head with affection. Edward giggled gleefully. "It's just what you are."_

_Edward beamed with excitement. "I love it! It's the best nickname Edward has ever, ever had!" The girl hopped with ecstasy, suddenly throwing her arms around Nikolai's neck. "Cpaceeba, Nikki-Moose!" Nikolai returned her hug heartily._

"_You're welcome," he replied. Happily he breathed in her sweet scent. After the warm hug, Ed stood on her tiptoes, her face now level with his, keeping her balance by gripping on to his shoulders._

"_I have Nikki's email address!" she gleamed._

"_And I have yours," the boy replied with a sad smile. Suddenly the hacker leaned toward him again. He felt his face flush with color as she landed the sweetest butterfly kiss on his cheek._

_Jet, who thought he'd been doing pretty well up until now, felt his bearded jaw drop to the floor. Wide-eyed, he gawked. Was his quirky, strange, awkward little Edward really capable of having such an effect on boys? He stared in disbelief at the goofy grin left on the young man's face. Momentarily, it took him back to his first love interest, back in 2050. He had been a mere 14 years of age when he received his first kiss from a girl. His heart filling and pounding with strange emotions, he turned away._

_Edward energetically pulled away, plopping with a bounce back down to her heels. "Nikki's face is really hot!" she exclaimed in a rather quiet voice. She brought a hand up to the cheek she'd kissed._

"_Yeah, don't worry about it," Nikolai laughed nervously, gripping her tanned hand and bringing it back down to her side. The girl giggled. Jet nervously looked at the timestamp on his comm._

"_Ed will miss your face," she smiled playfully. Standing on her toes again, Edward lightly touched her nose to his._

_Nikolai grew even warmer. He began to wish they were saying their adieus outside in the snow. Carefully he peered around the girl's wild hair at Jet, who still stood with his back to the young pair, looking preoccupied with fidgeting. It was now or never. Ever so slightly, the boy tilted his head, gently bringing his lips into contact with Edward's. _

_The kiss startled Ed, but it was so soft and sensual that she didn't dare pull away. Her heart began to pound as her excitement grew. She could feel her palms becoming moist and clammy. When he pulled away, it was all too soon. _

"_I hope that didn't seem too forward," he whispered, a timid smile curling the corners of his lips. _

"_It was just forward enough," she replied, releasing an exhilarated exhale. She grinned, placing a hand on her cheek. "Now Ed's face is hot." The two of them shared a laugh just before Ed heard the familiar sound of metal on scalp. _

_She turned and saw Jet, staring off in another direction, habitually rubbing his smooth head with his cybernetic hand. "I better go now," she said sadly. _

"_Ok," Nikolai responded, releasing the copper hand that he'd been absently holding on to. The girl scampered to Jet's side, jerking his fleshy arm to awaken him from the reverie he had been visiting. _

"_Papa Jet, Ed is ready now," she smiled up at him. Jet looked down at the little hacker, clearing his head of the jumble of thoughts that ran through it._

"_Ok, let's get a move on. Time is of the essence," he replied. As he slipped his hat on, he turned to face Nikolai. "Take care, kid," he said simply, tipping the furry hat._

"_Yes sir," the boy answered, giving a salute, which he felt was quite appropriate._

"_Bye-bye!" Ed sang, once again cheerful. She waved, her fingertips dancing on the air._

"_See ya," Nikolai smiled._

_When Jet had led Edward out into the snow, the girl felt strange fluttering in her stomach; her knees even felt weak. "Jet-person," she said. Jet looked down at her cheerful face that seemed to light up the dark night around them. "Carry Ed! Carry! Carry!"_

"_I thought you _knew_ how to walk?" he replied._

"_Ed forgot."_

* * *

Edward heaved a heavy, nostalgic sigh, looking down at Ein. The dog had climbed onto her stomach and made himself comfortable as Ed reveled in her sweet memory. She stroked his sandy fur, and gently touched the off-center white spot on his nose. Ein panted, looking up into Edward's lazy smile. "Oh, poochie," she said, scratching the scruff of Ein's neck. She grinned at him as he lie on her torso. "I can't control my face!" she giggled.

Ein gave a short whine.

"Ya think so?" Ed asked.

The Corgi gave a bark in the affirmative.

"So, Ed is lovesick, is she? But I feel fine, Ein! Fine, Ein!" she laughed.

Ein rested his head on his white paws, cocking his eyebrows up at the hacker.

"Well, we'll see!" she replied, another uncontrollable giggle rattling her skinny frame.

* * *

_**Awww! That's pretty much what I can say for this chapter. Awww! I didn't want Ed's rondez vous with Nikolai to end so abruptly, and I always wanted to do a flashback for her. She deserves one!**_

_**Bebop is not owned by me, but by Sunrise Inc. I should do a blanketed statement disclaimer next time...**_


	45. Short Cut

Ed suddenly heard the door to the living area loudly squeak open. She sat up, Ein nestled between her crossed legs, and watched Jet rush in, heading straight for the trio of tethered bounty heads in the corner. Spike followed him, the wounded Faye in his arms. "Are you letting them go?" the girl asked as she watched Jet kneel where he'd tied the biggest knot.

"Move, Ed," said Spike as he rushed in her direction. Ein hopped out of Ed's lap as the girl scrambled to the coffee table.

"Did Faye-Faye forget how to walk too?" she asked, looking up at Spike's towering figure.

"No," he replied hastily, laying the woman across the sofa.

"Faye-Faye?" Ed quietly interrogated. She sat back and watched as Spike removed the lambskin coat that was draped over Faye's figure. He then removed the green sweater that she had hugged for warmth. Upon seeing the blood soaked hand towel pressed against Faye's side, Ed released a gasp. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. She hopped back to the sofa, fitting herself around and between Faye's legs. "Faye-Faye!"

"Ed," the woman finally spoke. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see you, twerp," she smiled through her perpetual grimace.

"While you're down there, take her boots off," Spike ordered.

"Aye!" the girl enthused. She was thrilled to be able to help. She was so involved in being of assistance to Spike and Faye that she hardly noticed when three police officers stormed onto the ship and gravitated to Jet's side.

Each man in uniform attended to a bounty head, not so carefully removing his constraints to apply new ones. One of them spoke:

"Henry Clemmons, Oscar Burns and Timothy Martin, you are all under arrest for conspiracy and illegal solicitation of rare substances. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law..."

Jet stood back and watched with pride as he silently recited the Miranda Rights along with the officer with unnerving accuracy. The spiel brought to him a certain nostalgia for the good ol' days, but ultimately, he was glad he'd left the force. His mental mantra was soon interrupted when a fourth officer approached him.

"Wow, the Black Dog bites again!" the man said. He removed his hat, revealing dark, closely cut hair.

"Well, it was mostly those two," Jet smiled heartily, hooking a thumb at Spike and Faye on the couch. "Have we met?" he asked.

"Actually, no. I'm Sheriff Yorke," the man replied happily. He caught Jet's hand in a handshake. "I've heard a lot about you. You're a legend on Ganymede!"

"A legend? Is that what they're calling it?" he asked humbly.

"Hate to disappoint ya, but yeah," Yorke replied with a chuckle. "Sorry about your arm though, buddy," he added, with a touch of sympathy.

"Yeah," Jet answered wearily. "I like this one better," he smiled, giving his metal forearm a sentimental pat.

"Faye-Faye?" asked Ed, resting her chin on Faye's knee. "What happened to you? Did you jump in front of a bad guy's gun to save Spike-person's life?"

"Are you kidding me?" Faye scoffed. Spike sat on the coffee table, elbows on his knees, and a lit cigarette between his lips. A grim and grumpy countenance housed itself on his face. Instead of pretending to be offended by Faye's pretending to not care, he was thinking about how it happened again; about how he should have been the one to jump in front of a bullet for her.

The hacker carefully scooted off the couch, avoiding jarring Faye's reclining figure. She hurried to the coffee table and leaned over Spike's shoulder.

"Spike-person?" she asked, resting her chin in his mossy coif. "Is Faye-Faye gonna have to stay on the couch and sleep all day like you?" she laughed. Faye smiled at the question, spreading light heartedness to Spike's face.

Spike took his time answering. He held his cigarette between two fingers and slowly exhaled the smoke. He nodded his head. "She should," he said, "but she'll probably spend more time complaining."

"Right," Faye interjected. "Like you never complain when you're laid up!"

"Not as much as you on a regular basis," he smiled back.

"I do not complain that much!"

"Oh? I think Jet would beg to differ."

"Would not!"

"He definitely would! Let's bet on it."

"Oh no! If there's one bet I can refuse, it's anything from _you_!"

"C'mon! You know you want to."

Ed listened to the two bicker for a short while before she became bored with them. She looked to the floor at Ein.

The Corgi laid his ears back on his head, giving a snort. The girl hopped from the table and scooped the dog up into her arms.

"You're right, Ein," she said as they disappeared into the bowels of the Bebop.

* * *

_**Another 'Aww' chapter! Faye's ok, Spike's lightening up, Jet's being recognized for his hard work, and Ed is, well, not bored anymore. Woot!**_

_**Cowboy Bebop isn't mine!**_


	46. Epilogue: The Potato and You

Jet strolled into the ISSP Earth headquarters, pulling a thin slip of paper from his pocket. Reading the slightly crumpled slip, he absently approached the front desk.

"Why, Jet Black! Is that you?" came a shocked voice from behind the desk. Jet looked up to find its owner. A man with mocha skin sat wearing a surprised smile. Grey dominated his once black hair and freckles dotted his nose. Jet quickly returned the smile.

"Jones? Adam 'Free Man' Jones! I don't believe it!" he laughed in response. "You ol' codger! What are you doin' way out here on Earth?"

"Well, you know, I got transferred from Ganymede," Jones replied. "They prob'ly figured I was gettin' too old so they shipped me out here to anchor the desk. Not much happens on Earth, you know."

"Well, I wouldn't say that much," said Jet. "Earth can be pretty happenin' sometimes."

"Yeah, from time to time," said Jones. "So, Jet, my man! Last time I checked I was older than you! What's with the bald spot?" he laughed.

"Well, I've got my crew to thank for that," Jet smiled, consciously rubbing his shiny head.

"Crew, huh?" Jones asked. "Been the captain of a ship since you left the ISSP?"

"You could say that," Jet replied, handing Jones the slip of paper he was fingering. Jones studied the paper, an amused smile overcoming his features.

It read:

IT IS HEREBY STATED THAT  Jet Black & Co BE GIVEN FULL CREDIT FOR THE CAPTURE OF THE BOUNTY HEAD(S):

Johnathan Gu, Evan McDavitt, Timothy Martin, Oscar Burns, Henry Clemmons 

CONFIRMED BY:  Tobias Yorke  
(approving ISSP officer)

DATE:  11-19-2073 

"So you're a bounty hunter now!" Jones said merrily. "Not too far from the old business, eh?"

"I guess not," Jet answered.

"You always were big on justice," speculated Jones. "And I taught you everything you know!" he laughed.

"I guess you deserve some credit, Free Man," Jet replied jovially.

* * *

Aboard the Bebop once again, Jet ducked through the small circular door that opened into the common area. He looked across the room, everything appearing as it should be. There were only two things that seemed a little irregular. 

Spike sat in the yellow chair, his rounded boots propped on the coffee table and a lit cigarette perched between his lips. He looked through the foggy smoke at Faye, lying on the matching couch and shining in her yellow vinyl uniform. She seemed to be lying as neatly and dainty as she could, ankles crossed and an arm across her torso. She gently traced the bandages that wrapped around her small frame with lazy fingertips.

"So how was getting that bullet removed?" said Spike to the woman.

"Horrible! I think it was the worst pain I've ever felt and will ever feel again!"

"Even worse than childbirth?" he asked. Faye gave him a look.

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"No. Are you?"

Jet looked on with a sigh as the two loungers looked up at him. "You two look comfortable," he said, making his way down the stairs. "You're actually conversing." Spike gave a shrug.

"Hi, Jet!" Faye called to him sweetly. Jet raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-oh, she wants something," he said looking over at Spike. The green haired cowboy answered silently with an affirmative smile.

"What? Me?" Faye smiled. "What is there for me to possibly want?" Spike rolled his eyes.

"The money's already in your account, Faye. Is that all?" Faye gave a nervous chuckle.

"You know me too well, Jet," she said, smiling coyly. "Anyway, I hate to have gotten your attention for no reason," she sang. "Could you at least just do me one tiny little favor and get me a drink?"

Jet looked at Spike again. "Spike," he said.

"Hm?"

"She's _your_ woman."

He walked over to the next available seat, the chair at his research station as Spike stood, stretching his long arms over his head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, approaching Faye. "She is my woman, isn't she?" He leaned over her with a grin, taking her chin between finger and thumb. Faye smiled up at him, batting her bejeweled eyes. Slipping her hand over his, she guided his fingers to her cheek.

"Ow!" he suddenly exclaimed. He looked at Faye, seeing two of his fingers wedged between her pearly teeth.

"What did I say about patronizing, Spike?" she said after he'd pulled free. She wore a mischievous smile. Spike frowned, standing up again and shoving his hand deep into his pocket. With a sigh, he lumbered off to the kitchen.

Jet sat watching in amusement. It had been just as funny to him as the first time Spike was bitten by Ein. "I swear, you two…" he said, resting his head on his good hand.

"Us two what?" Faye answered, still smiling.

"Well, you might as well get married. You act like you've been in it for years."

Faye's smile slightly faded. "We do, don't we?" she asked whimsically. She laced her fingers over her head, looking at the woven pattern they made. Jet grew nervous and regretful of bringing up such a subject.

"So, where's Ed?" he asked, changing the topic.

"I dunno," Faye replied. "Probably out there by the revolver or something."

"Hmm." Jet lifted one leg over the other, reclining in his chair.

* * *

"_So, you're leaving Earth soon_?" asked Nikolai, his face in a square on the monitor of Edward's tomato. 

"Yah," the girl replied with a slow nod. She lie on the cold floor of the Bebop in front of her computer screen, her hands holding up her golden face. "Faye-Faye got released from the hospital today."

"_Oh yeah_," the boy said. "_How is Faye doing_?" he asked sincerely.

"Faye-Faye is fine-fine!" said Ed. "She and Spike-person are back to fighting again!"

"_Fighting? That doesn't sound good_."

"Oh, it's normal," the girl replied. "First they bicker, bicker, bicker, and then they stop bickering, bickering, bickering, and then Faye-Faye pretends to be really sad or really mad so Spike-person will make her happy again!"

"_I guess the end justifies the means_," Nikolai laughed, trying to conceal a blush.

"Yup! Only now Spike-person isn't giving Faye-Faye happy. Maybe because of her _battle scar_!" she announced triumphantly.

"_That makes sense_," Nikolai nodded.

"Ooh! Guess what!" Ed gleamed. "Papa Jet collected our reward money today too! Edward gets fifteen million smackeroos!" she laughed gleefully.

"_Wow! That's a lot of money_!" Nikolai said, wearing a surprised smile. "_You get all that to yourself_?"

"Well, everyone else on Bebop-Bebop gets fifteen million as well, but Ed will share her share with Ein!" Edward grinned.

"_Every dog gets his day_," Nikolai chuckled.

"I wish I could share it with you too, Nikki-Moose," she said, her face suddenly turning into a pouting frown.

"_Nah_," Nikolai humbly declined. "_I didn't do anything. You can't reward me_."

"But Nikki! You saved me! Saved me and Ein from certain death!" she praised. "We would never have made it without you!" she enthused, clasping her hands in desperation. "I should at least buy something for you, Nikki. What do you want?" she demanded eagerly. Nikolai smiled.

"_To be honest, Ed, I wouldn't mind another visit from you_."

"That's all?" Ed questioned. "Nikki-Moose wants nothing else?"

"_Nope, nothing else_," the boy replied.

"Well," she resolved, "when I visit, I will bring Nikki-Moose a surprise!"

"_I can't wait, moi Agonye_," he smiled. Edward grinned widely.

"Hee hee hee hee!" she laughed, delightfully rolling over. She arched her back, looking at the monitor upside down. "Being your agonye makes me happy," she sighed.

"_Me too_," Nikolai replied with a warm smile. He watched as she scrambled up into a sitting position, her legs criss-cross before the monitor. Just then, she heard another voice.

"Hey, Ed." The girl looked around and spotted Jet, poking his head into the corridor where she sat.

"Yah?" she responded cheerfully.

"Dinner'll be ready in less than an hour. Wanna give me a hand?" the man asked, wearing a paternal smile.

"Edward will join you shortly!" she announced, offering a salute. She looked down at Ein; the dog had waddled up and sat by her side, his front paws draping over her leg. Giving him a scratch, she returned her attention to her tomato monitor.

"Ok," Jet replied, wandering away. He wiped a hand on his apron as he walked. The hacker sighed to her computer.

"Ed is sad to be leaving Earth," she said. "But Ed will be back! Bebop-Bebop travels all over the galaxy!"

"_Are you guys usually really busy_?" Nikolai asked hopefully.

"Nope." Ed stroked Ein's furry body as she talked. "Business is _slow_ an awful lot. But now that we have so much money, Jet-person might take us on a vacation!"

"_Ooh! Where will you go_?" Nikolai asked excitedly.

"Ed does not know. And Faye-Faye would be mad if we planned something before she gets all better. But! Maybe Nikki can come!" Ed watched as Nikolai's face registered surprise. "Ed might be able to… pull a few strings!" she said with a coy grin. "That's it! That will be Ed's surprise for Nikki-Moose!" she chimed. "Travel on a journey all across the globes! Where we'll stop, nobody knows!" Nikolai smiled.

"_That would be awesome_!" he laughed. "_But I do have school though_," he said, leaning back in his chair on the other end of the connection.

"I'm sure we could work around that!" Ed said. She gave him a reassuring wink. Nikolai gave a chuckle. "I have to go help papa Jet now," she said.

"_Ok_," he answered. "_I'll see you soon,, Moi Agonye_."

"Bye-bye, Nikki-Moose!" Ed giggled. She blew Nikolai a kiss before cutting off her connection. After her screen went blank, she stared at it for a while, wishing it wasn't so easy to get rid of him. She was reawakened by Ein's cold nose nuzzling her arm. Looking down at the dog, she gave a smile. "Ok, pup-pup, let's go!" She hopped up and soared away to the kitchen, with Ein in toe.

* * *

"Soup's on," Jet finally called from the kitchen. He and Edward brought dishes of food into the living area one by one and placed them on the coffee table. 

"Ma-a-a-ashed potatoes!" Sang Ed as she placed a bowl down. She danced away, ready to fetch another dish. Faye looked at the coffee table from her post on the couch, eying the food.

"Smells delicious!" she said hungrily as Jet placed before her a plate with a slab of London broil.

"Those last two bounties pretty much have us set for a while. Now we can afford more variety," the big man replied happily, placing his fists on his hips. Faye was amused by the combination of his manly stance and the frilly apron he wore. She heaved herself upright, milking her injury for all it was worth. Jet headed back to the kitchen, when Ed reappeared.

"Boc Choy!" Edward announced, returning with another bowl. A small stack of plates sat precariously atop her fiery mane of hair. In her hand was a cluster of four forks and knives. The girl placed the bowl down carefully before haplessly dropping the silverware. She gave a twirl before removing the plates from her head.

Jet returned once more, carrying with him carving utensils. As he placed them next to the London broil, Spike suddenly peeped his head around the corner, drawn by the savory smell of beef. Looking around, he slowly stepped into the room and descended the metal staircase. His shirtless figure bore a white towel draped over the shoulder; the waistband of his sweat pants darkened with the moisture of exertion. Smearing the fabric of the towel over his damp hair and face, the thin cowboy descended onto the couch in the empty space next to Faye. "About time, Jet," he said, reaching over her to grab a plate, fork and knife. "I'm starving."

"Lured by the smell of my cooking again, eh Spike?" Jet asked, grinning.

"Don't flatter yourself," Spike replied unemotionally.

"I thought so," Jet answered with a smile. Knowing how hungry everyone was, and fearing that Spike would stake claim on the London broil any second now, he sat in the old yellow chair, picked up the carving utensils and began slicing the meat.

"Food! Food! Glorious food!" sang Ed, watching each slice of beef fall tenderly to the plate it was on. She plopped onto the floor beside the table. With her fork, she hurriedly stabbed the end piece and bit into it, leaving it to dangle from between her white teeth.

"Hey!" said Spike. "I wanted that!"

"You lose if you snooze, Spike-person!" the hacker teased, muffled by the slice of red meat.

"Ed," Jet reprimanded. "Don't do that; you're gonna puncture somebody's hand with that fork! Spike, chill out, there's another end on this thing!" He spoke to Spike in the same tone.

"What about me?" asked Faye frantically. "I want the end!"

"Talk to Spike," Jet gruffed.

"Sorry, Faye," Spike smirked at her. "I called it." Faye answered him with a glare. Edward gave a light giggle as she scooped some of Jet's mashed potatoes onto her plate. Faye redirected her leer. Soon Ein joined the gathering as well, taking a seat beside Ed on the floor.

The dog gave a whine, looking up at Jet, than Ed. Ignored by all except the hacker, he slipped the tip of his nose onto the table.

The quartet gobbled at their food, forks stabbing and knives scraping on each plate. Words were rarely spoken at the dinner table, the time and place when everyone was satisfied and contented.

"Ein! Gimme that back!"

For the most part, anyway.

**Fin.**

* * *

_**...That's it! The End! 46 chapters of pure Cowboy Phunk! Woot! That took a lot out of me. x.x Well, now that there's no more, I hope to get at least a few more reviews. I wanna know what you think! It's been awesome writing, and I should return with yet another Beboptacular story in a little while. I hope you enjoyed! n.n**_

_**We all know that the wonderful creation of Cowboy Bebop the original series had absolutely nothing to do with me. However, just when you thought it was the end, I added yet another original character! For Jones, I had this picture of Morgan Freeman in my head, hence the nickname. Or perhaps, now that I think of it, Beau Billingslea (voice of Jet Black!) They have the same kinda vibe. n.n **_


End file.
